Gremory's Black Knight
by itachikage
Summary: To save Asuna, Kirito makes a deal with a devil. But sinister forces are at work, and have been since the very start of Sword Art Online. Can the Black Swordsman find out the true reason for the death game, or has he been dancing to their tune since the very beginning?
1. A Deal with the Devil

Gremory's Black Knight Chapter 1

New story for the new year! Well, not entirely new, but soon enough.

It starts fairly clichéd but I'm planning to take it in a different direction from other SAO x DxD crossovers. So I hope you can bear with it for a few chapters.

Disclaimer: I don't own DxD or SAO.

* * *

"Why?" Kirito asked himself as the vision of Sugou assaulting Asuna disappeared into an endless sea of white, "Why is this happening? Is this my punishment for thinking I was some hero? That I was the only one who could save her? For thinking I was strong enough..?"

"Are you giving up?" A voice asked him, and accompanying it were footsteps, "Giving up without even fighting?"

"I'm facing reality." He answered bitterly.

"So you are giving up." The voice replied back, "Giving up, even when you're faced with a system you've already defied?"

"What other choice do I have?" He asked, "I'm just a player, and he's the GM."

"Than what? Our battle was just a joke? Wasn't you who proved that the human will is superior to the system? Wasn't you, swordsmen, who showed me the endless possibilities of humankind?" His final words echoed in Kirito's mind as the emptiness collapsed around him. "Stand up, Kirito!"

'He's right.' Kirito realized as he struggled against the sword pinning him to the ground. Sugou turned back to him, a mocking smile still etched on his face, 'Something like this-'

Gritting his teeth to bare the pain, he muttered, "Your attacks are weak. The blades in SAO hit way harder, and it hurt so much more than anything you could ever do, Sugou!"

"Excuse me." Sugou grinned at Asuna, "It seems that there's a cockroach that needs to be squashed for good."

"Kirito!" She cried out as the Fairy King strode towards the Black Swordsmen and delivered a slap to knock him back to the ground.

Only he didn't budge. With every ounce of strength that he had left from the prolonged piercing damage and the effects of the gravity magic, he grabbed Sugou's wrist. The look of surprise on his face made the whole ordeal worthwhile. However, he wasn't done. At that moment, his mouth started to move of its own accord, and he could hear the words that he wasn't even consciously speaking.

"System Login. ID Heathcliff."

"What?!" Sugou shouted, "Who's ID are you using?!"

"System Command. Enable Administartor Privleges. Set ID Oberon to level one." He continued without acknowledging the questions. The overwhelming gravity disappeared as a system window appeared in front of Sugou.

"An ID that out ranks mine?" Sugou said in absolute disbelief, "That's impossible! This is my world! I am its creator! Its king! Its God!"

As soon as he regained control of himself, Kirito shook his head, "No, you're wrong, Sugou. You stole everything in this world, including its people. You're nothing but a King of Theives, sitting alone on your stolen throne."

"You little punk-! How dare you talk to me like that!" Sugou growled angrily, "System Command! Generate Object! ID Excalibur!"

As Kirito had expected, nothing happened. The sight of Sugou shouting at a system beyond his control anymore was almost too funny to not laugh, but there was something he needed to do before he could enjoy that small pleasure. Looking up at Asuna, he gave her a small smile, "Think that you can hold on for just a bit longer? This won't take more than a sec."

Asuna returned the smile with a small nodded, and the chains above her head rattled from the movement. Allowing himself to drown in anger was something that he'd only allowed to happen once, but it couldn't hurt to do it again.

"System Command!" He roared, "Generate Object! ID Excalibur!"

Sugou's eyes grew wide in horror as the pillar of golden light descended from the sky, and within the pillar sat a legendary sword. Turning the sword in his hand, Kirito remarked, "A simple command to summon a legendary weapon. Who knew?"

"Why you-!" Sugou started again, but this time he was cut off by Kirito tossing the sword to him. Hurriedly and clumsily he grabbed it out of the air, almost as though unsure what he was supposed to do with it.

Kirito lazily kicked his own sword off the ground and into the air, grabbing it without a care, "Let's settle the score, Sugou. The King of Theives vs. The Gilded Hero. System Command. Set Pain absorber to zero."

"N-No...' Sugou stuttered as he took a step back.

"Did you just flinch?" Kirito asked in the same mocking tone that Sugou had used in every encounter they'd had up until now, "Because that man never flinched, not even for a second. You know him, right? Akihiko Kiyaba!"

"Oh my god..." Sugou growled, "KIYABA! Now I see. That was his ID!" Angrily, he looked up, and screamed, "Why are you all ways getting in my way! You're ruining everything! Taking everything that was rightfully mine!"

"Sugou!" Kirito interrupted before the scene could get any more pitiful, "In a way, I get where you're coming from. I lost to him too, and than I had to go work for him. But unlike you, I never wanted to be him."

"God damn you!" Sugou shouted as he lost all control and started swinging the legendary holy sword wildly through the air. With the swing so weak and half assed, he didn't even bother dodging them and parried each without even moving. When a particularly wide swing was deflected, he casually swung the blade of his iron great sword across Sugou's cheek. Without the pain absorber, his mind took the full pain of the small cut, and he let out a yelp of pain.

"Hurts, doesn't it?" Kirito smiled, before letting out all the anger and frustartion he'd been feeling for the past two months, watching Asuna in her hospital bed. The powerlessness he felt, and the rage he had towards the man responsible, "But compared to the pain you made Asuna feel, this is nothing. It's not even close!"

Sugou screamed in terror as he charged, and tried in vain to block the downward slash. Instead, Kirito took off his arm, and the holy sword with it. With Sugou crying in agony, Kirito slashed him in half at the waist and watched is lower body disappeared along with the arm.

With him finally feeling what it was like to be utterly powerless, Kirito decided to end it. Gripping Sugou by the hair, he threw his upper torso into the air and stabbed upwards, reducing his hit points to zero with one decisive blow through his eye. As the fairy king's body disappeared in a shower of polygons, Kirito turned back to Asuna, and with one swing, the chains that bound her snapped.

Tossing the sword aside, he held Asuna close, determined to never let her go.

"I knew you'd come for me." She said softly, returning his hug with every ounce of love she felt, "I have faith in you, Kirito. Always have, always will. I don't know whether you're a hero, but you are my hero."

"I don't have any powers." He cried, "But I'll do must best to be one, for you."

"That's my Kirito." she smiled brightly.

Nodding, he opened the system menu. "It's gotta be night time by now. But I'll be over just as soon as I can."

"I'll be waiting." She nodded as he tapped the logout key, "I want you to be the first person I see when I wake up."

Smiling, he brushed away her tear with the glowing tip of his finger, and she disappeared in a shower of light.

Before he could log out himself, though, he had one thing that still needed to be dealt with. "That's it. Game over." He sighed, standing again before he addressed the person he knew would still be nearby, "What do you think, Heathcliff?"

Blue lights gathered in the air above him, and from them a man descended. But rather than the leader of the Knights of the Blood Oath, it was simply the genius who had been the mastermind behind the Nervegear and Sword Art Online. "Good to see you, Kirito." Akihiko Kiyaba said as he stood in front of Kirito.

"So, you're alive?" Kirito asked him.

"In a sense, though I think it's more accurate to say that I'm an echo of the mind that was Akihiko Kiyaba. A phantom, nothing more. Just an endless string of ones and zeros."

"Still completely lost, but whatever." Kirito sighed, "But thanks anyway. I wouldn't have been able to save Asuna without you."

"No, I don't think we're on good enough terms to expect favors for free." Kiyaba shook his head, "No matter whether you're dealing with God or the devil, there is always a price. The question is how much are you willing to pay for her?"

"Which are you, and what's your price?" Kirito asked him, and a pillar of golden light descended from above him. Only this time, instead of the holy sword Excalibur, what was inside was what appeared to be an egg, with a clear crystal at the center. "What's this?" He asked the genius in front of him.

"The beginnings of a new world. I call it the seed." Kiyaba answered, "Once it sprouts, you'll know what it is. What you do with it is up to you. You can even get rid of it if you want. However, if you have even the slightest fondness for the virtual world, you'll keep it safe."

"Tell me why you're doing this for me." Kirito asked as the seed disappeared from his hands, "You owe me that much."

"Why?" Kiyaba asked, almost like it was meant more for himself than Kirito, "I don't think even I know that. Kirito, when I saw your name on the list of beta testers, I knew that you'd be the one to face me. However, the current you isn't enough. I look forward to watching you grow even more."

"Once again, what are you..?" Kirito started, but eventually just sighed.

Kiyaba chuckled softly at his response, "One day, you'll know."

"Do you have any regrets?" Kirito asked suddenly as Kiyaba was engulfed in blue lights.

"Only that I was never able to see my castle with my own eyes." He replied without hesitation, and he looked back to Kirito with sad eyes, "But that is not to be. Kirito, if it is you, than just maybe, there's still a chance..."

With those enigmatic words, Akihiko Kiyaba disappeared from that place, and the darkness disappeared.

* * *

After saying farewell to Yui, Kirito logged out of ALO and returned to the familiar sight of his own room, and leaning over him with his cousin, Suguha, who had an extremely worried look on her face until she saw him open her eyes. Hurriedly, she sat back down, "Sorry!" She said, getting out of his way as he sat up, "When you didn't log out right away, I thought that..."

"Thanks for all your help, Sugu." He smiled, and she returned it.

Nervously, she asked, "So... is it... is it really over now?"

"It's over." he nodded, "She's back. And Sugu, I couldn't have done it witho-"

"Stop right there!" Sugu protested, but with a small smile, "You can thank me all you want later. Right now, I think that there's someone you need to go see."

"Right!" He said, getting up so quickly that he got dizzy. Sugu hurried to help him regain his balance, and as soon as he had, they ran down the stairs. Kirito threw on a pair of shoes, grabbed a jacket and was out the door within five minutes of logging out of ALO. This late, Buses and trains wouldn't be running, and he did have time to wait for them anyway. So, he ran to the side of the house and grabbed his bike.

Inside the basket was a single leaflet that he couldn't remember getting. The only thing printed on it was a bizarre red occult circle and the words 'your wish shall be granted' written in black ink. Smiling he couldn't help but whisper, "I've got everything I need."

Thrusting the leaflet into his coat pocket, he got on his bike and took off as fast he dared to go in the snow.

"Say hi to Asuna for me!" Suguha called after him, but he was already too far away to respond to her.

Even he didn't know how fast he was pedalling. He probably could've given a car a run for its money. Finally, just as he felt like he didn't have the strength to keep pedalling, the hospital came into view. Pushing forward that last inch, he stopped in front of the gate and placed his bike to the side. From memory he knew exactly which room was Asuna's. The light was still off, so the nurses hadn't gone in to check on her yet. Maybe he really would get to be the first person she saw.

He was so focused on getting to her that he didn't even notice someone step out from behind a van in the parking lot, or the knife that he held in his hand.

Even before he noticed that pain, he felt the warmth of his blood running down his arm. Coming to a halt, he turned around and saw that man, Sugou Nobuyuki holding the knife that was dripping blood onto the asphalt

"You're late, Kirito." He said harshly, holding the knife casually in front of his face while the blood dripped off, "I've been out here so long, I might catch cold. Wouldn't that be tragic?"

"Sugou!" Kirito growled, but the sight of Sugou's right eye unnerved him more than the knife in his hand. It was bloodshot and wide, likely as a result of the final blow in the game without any pain absorber.

"You did a very bad thing." Sugou said as he turned the knife casually in his hand, "Even with so many drugs numbing it, I can still feel the pain."

"It's over, Sugou." Kirito said without taking his eyes off of him, "Just turn yourself in."

"'Over'?" He grinned, "Hardly. There are plenty of companies that would kill to have me and my research. And once its completed, no one would be able to get in my way. I will become the God of this world!" Holding the knife even more tightly than before, he added, "A bit early, but I think this world's God's first act will be to kill you!"

Kirito jumped to the side to dodge the quick stab, but the snow caused him to lose his balance and fall to the ground. Sugou towered over him mockingly, "Come on, get up." With each word he kicked him in the ribs, and at least one of them had probably broken before he finally stomped on him and held the knife steady in his hand, "Did you think that a piece of trash like you would slow me down, Kirito? There's only one punishment for someone who defies God. Not to worry though. She'll join you soon."

He could only watch powerlessly as the tip of the knife zoomed towards him, and as he closes his eyes to pray, the blade hits the ground beside him. Sugou withdraws the blade calmly, pushing his glasses back up the bridge of his nose, "My right eye's all foggy. It threw off my depth perception. But not to worry. I won't miss again." For some reason, Sogou's steady arm suddenly started to shake uncontrollably, "You worthless piece of trash! You don't have any real power!"

"And neither do you!" Kirito replied, forcing himself into a sitting position and grabbing Sugou's wrist with both hands to stop the blade of the knife from killing him. Kicking his legs out from underneath him, Kirito grabbed the knife from Sugou's hand as he toppled back, and held it at his side. "Such a weak weapon. Too light. No reach. Still more than enough to end this here and now!"

Sugou's eye widened for the second time as Kirito walked menacingly towards him, knife held steady and pure rage in his eyes. The only thing on his mind was to get away, but even as he crawled Kirito grabbed him by the hair and slammed his face against the side of a car in the parking lot. With the knife in his hand and Sugou passed out in front of him, Kirito moved the knife to put an end to everything, once and for all. But he was better than that.

Dropping the knife and Sugou's unconscious body on the asphalt, Kirito limped towards the hospital. The guard at the front door only took a single look at his bleeding arm before ushering him in. Weakly, he told the guard about Sugou, and he immediately called for security and the police. Telling Kirito to wait for a doctor, he ran off to secure Sugou. Ignoring the order, Kirito slowly worked his way across the hospital to the elevator, than up to Asuna's room.

But what waited inside wasn't what he was expecting. She wasn't awake or alert. In fact, she didn't seem to have changed at all. The Nervegear was still attached to her head, and the two lights were lit on the fron-

His face paled as he realized there were supposed to be three light. The third wasn't lit. The first two were for internet connection and whether the machine was active, but the third would have meant that it was receiving power via an electrical outlet. If that light wasn't lit, than the Nervegear wasn't receiving power and was using its own internal battery. If Asuna wasn't logged out, and the Nervegear's battery reached critcal, than Asuna would-!

Running over to her bedside, he saw the reason. Someone had cut the power line.

" _She'll join you soon..._ "

Kirito repeated Sugou's final threat and gripped the edge of her bed as tightly as he could. Because this time, there was nothing he could do. Putting his hand inside his pocket, he felt the flier that was in the basket of his bike. 'Your wish will be granted.' he read again before throwing it on the ground behind him. It couldn't help him. Reaching over to the side of the bed, he was about to press the help button, in the hopes that someone in the hospital would be able to save her when the room was illuminated by a brilliant red light.

"Speak your desire." A voice said as a beautiful red haired girl with two batlike wings and wearing what seemed to be a school uniform appeared in the center of what he now realized was an enlarged version of the circle from the leaflet, "And if you are willing to pay the price than I, Rias Gremory will see it done."

Kiyaba's warning came back to him at that moment. _"No matter whether you're dealing with god or the devil, there is always a price. The question is how much are you willing to pay for her?"_

The answer to that question was obvious.

"Save Asuna." He answered immediately, "And you can have whatever you want."

"I can do as you ask." The girl smiled, "However, the price may be steeper than you are prepared to pa-"

"I accept." He said, bowing his head again. It didn't matter what the price was. He'd pay it if it meant he could save Asuna.

"For a life to be saved, another must be taken." She said, reaching a hand into the pocket of her skirt, "Knowing that..."

"I accept." He repeated himself.

"Than accept this." She said, handing him what seemed to be a single crimson chess piece. A knight, "And your life will belong to me. You will serve me as a knight of Rias Gremory. In return, I will swear on the name of the House of Gremory that I will save this girl."

"Alright." Kirito said, reaching forward and taking the piece from her. The Knight started to glow as it sunk into his body, and he could feel two wings appearing out of his back.

"Our pact is sealed. Now tell me your name."

"Kazuto. Kazuto Kirigaya." He introduced himself.

"I am Rias Gremory." She smiled and a red aura surrounded her hand, "I look forward to talking with you at greater length later. For now, I believe I have something to do, don't I?"

Kirito watched as the red haired woman who called herself Rias stepped over to Asuna's bed, and she placed the glowing hand onto the Nervegear. He was about to warn her not to take it off when the Nervegear started to melt. He could see the small electrical components exploding in on themselves as the device seemingly destroyed itself without harming Asuna at all. Within a minute, there wasn't even a trace left of it.

"There." Rias said, and the aura around her hand disappeared, "That will do it. Her consciousness is already starting to return." Looking back at Asuna, she gave a small, pained smile and said, "For now, I'll leave you two alone. Kazuto, I'll be sending someone to have a talk with you some time over the next few days, alright?"

Before he could respond, she waved her hand and disappeared into the red circle on the ground.

Kirito looked back to Asuna's bed where, true to her words, she was starting to stir. He hurriedly drew up a chair and sat at her side. When she first opened her eyes, she looked utterly shocked, but than she reached her hand towards him and mouthed his name. Smiling, he nodded and took her hand, "Welcome back, Asuna." He said before wiping away his tears.

* * *

"How did it go, President?" Akeno asked as Rias reappeared into the old school building of Kuoh Academy.

"It was... unexpected." She answered, accepting a cup of tea from her queen, "Akeno, is Kiba still around, or has he gone home for the night?"

"I think he wanted to get some training in before he left." Akeno answered, "Shall I call him?"

"Please do." Rias nodded, "Tell him that I've chosen my second knight."

* * *

Here's my next new story! I posted the first chapter a while ago in my Crossover ideas story, but I've been continuing it and finally decided that I had enough progress to warrant posting it. It's been edited and beta'd to the best of my abilities, though I've never actually been well known for that particular skill...

Anyway, before I leave you to post your reviews, I'm going to be publishing a new poll that will effect this and any subsequent SAO stories.

Should Kirito always (with a few exceptions, such as introductions, etc) be Kirito or should he be Kirito in game and Kazuto IRL? I'm pretty fine either way, so let me know what you think. Obviously, this would be apply to other SAO character like Klein and Leafa.

With that out of the way, Review and let me know what you think on the poll.


	2. Acceptance

Gremory's Black Knight chapter 2

Hey everybody, here's the next chapter for your amusement. It took longer then I expected since I realized I hadn't actually replaced chapter 2 after I lost it the first time, but you'll be pleased to know that the next three chapters are 100% complete, so I should be able to have the next chapter to you guys next week.

The results of the poll (Which I'm leaving open just so that I can have some more feedback as time goes on) are in, and as a result, 'Kirito' will be used in most instances. The only exceptions will be for people who already knew him as Kazuto (Sugu) and people who don't know him as Kirito yet (ORC). The latter may be changing soon, however.

So I won't keep you any longer. Go ahead and read the next chapter.

Disclaimer: I don't own SAO or DxD. I thought that would have been obvious since I can't even get a consistent update schedule.

* * *

"Good morning." Kirito smiled at the receptionist after walking into the hospital.

"Good morning, Mr. Kirigaya." she replied with a smile, "Here to see Ms. Yuuki?"

"Yes ma'am." He replied, signing in while she filled out the guest pass.

"I heard you had security worried the other day." She said, handing it to him, "At least, I assume it was you who ran off despite being injured to see her?"

He winced slightly, "Yeah, that sounds like me…"

She gave a small smile and handed him his pass, "Leave it in the bin when you leave."

"Yes ma'am." He replied, walking past her towards the elevator.

Three nights ago, he was finally able to bring Asuna back. But more importantly, three nights ago, he made a deal with that girl. More than once, he'd wondered if he might've just been hallucinating the whole thing. But since he could make wings appear on his back and the broken rib from his fight with Sugou had healed before the doctors ever even checked on him, that left no doubt that it was real.

But despite what she'd said, she hadn't sent anyone for him. Or maybe she had and he'd been away from the house at the time. Either way, he was grateful to her for saving Asuna, whatever else might come of it.

Knocking on Asuna's door, he smiled slightly when he heard her voice.

"Come in, Ki- Kazuto."

"That predictable, huh?" He said, sliding the door open and walking over to the chair beside her bed.

"You haven't been late yet." She smiled, then asked, "How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine. Why?" He blinked in surprise.

"You just had a serious look on your face." she replied, "Is it your arm?"

"Nope." He smiled, "It's almost completely healed."

"Thank god." She sighed, "I was worried, you know. When I said I wanted you to be the first thing I see when I wake up, I didn't think I'd see you all beat up."

"You should've seen the other guy." He chuckled, and she nodded.

"Father told me." She answered softly, "Kazuto, can I ask you something?"

"Of course." He replied immediately.

"What happened to me?" She asked, "How did you save me?"

"It was Heathcliff." He answered truthfully, "He gave me his admin code. Since Sugou copied the ALO source code almost directly from SAO, and Heathcliff was set as the highest level, my admin rights outranked his. After that-"

"I know all of that." She cut him off. "I'm talking about after that. What happened here, in this room?"

He froze up, and Asuna reached back behind her bed, withdrawing a cut cord attached to a plug, "Someone cut my nervegear's power cord." She said, "After you logged me out of ALO, I thought that I was going to wake up, but I didn't. I just reappeared in an empty room. I tried everything I could, but there was no way out. I got a message when it switched to battery power. Just when I was starting to give up hope, I woke up. What happened?"

"It's… a really long story." He chuckled, and she held up the cord.

"Everyone insists that the Nervegear was taken by the government after I woke up, but I know I wasn't wearing it when I saw you. We have all day; so why don't you explain the whole th-"

"Good morning Miss Yuuki." Someone said at that exact moment, "Time for you- Oh you have a guest."

"G-Good morning." Kirito said quickly, turning to face the unfamiliar nurse.

"Sorry, but I'm going to have to borrow her for a little bit. Would you mind waiting outside?" The nurse asked with a smile.

"Sure thing." He answered, "See you in a bit."

"This conversation isn't over." Asuna warned.

'Rias was right.' The nurse thought as he left the room, 'These two are cute.'

* * *

Sighing, Kirito helped himself to one of the complimentary sodas while he tried to work out what he'd say to Asuna when he got back. She knew him too well for him to lie, not that he'd really want to lie. But the truth was probably too crazy for her to believe.

"Are you Kazuto Kirigaya?"

He jumped slightly at the question posed by someone he hadn't even noticed entering. It was a boy, roughly his age, wearing a vaguely familiar school uniform.

"I am, but do I know you?" He asked, wracking his brain to try and remember all of his classmates before being trapped in Sword Art Online, but he didn't seem familiar...

"I'd be surprised if you did." The boy laughed, extending his hand, "I'm Kiba Yuuto. I'm also Rias Gremory's servant. So I guess that makes us comrades."

"...Well, she said she'd send someone." He said once he recovered from shock, "Can't say I was expecting you to show up now, but…" Shaking his hand, Kirito smiled, "Nice to meet you, Kiba."

"You as well, Kazuto." He nodded back, "Since we've got a bit of talking to do, what do you say we go someplace we're less likely to be overheard."

Following just behind him, Kirito gave a quick glance back towards Asuna's room and gave a small sigh. And he thought that once she woke up, things would get less complicated…

Kiba led him straight across the floor to a stairway to the roof. The door was strangely open, but the alarm wasn't going off. Since Kiba wasn't concerned, he assumed that it must have been taken care of ahead of time and walked up the steps.

"So, I'm sure you must have some questions." Kiba said, leaning against the wall once they reached the roof, "Go ahead and ask. I'll answer to the best of my abilities."

"What now?" He responded, and to Kiba's surprise, he sprouted his wings and started to hover, "I mean, I get that I'm a devil now, and I can apparently fly, which is cool, but I find it hard to believe that she saved Asuna and made me a devil for nothing."

"You're taking this extraordinarily well." Kiba noted with a slight chuckle, "I guess there's no need to beat around the bush. You're Rias' Knight, the same as me. What that means is that you'll be responsible for fighting on her behalf in Rating Games, as well as making pacts, and assisting her with combatting strays."

"Great…" Kirito laughed weakly, "Now my life really is a game. Killing trash mobs and completing quests... It's almost funny."

"Not a bad analogy, actually." Kiba replied, spreading his wings as well, "And, just like in a game, you can level up, and get rewarded along the way."

"Rewarded?"

"You received a lot of powers when you were reincarnated." Kiba answered, "They should serve you well, not the least being near immortality. You can also receive a large plot of land in the Underworld as your own, and, if you become a High Class Devil, you'll receive evil pieces of your own."

"Evil Pieces?" Kirito asked, confused by the term.

Kiba placed a hand to his chest, and from within him, a crimson light glowed faintly. "The Evil Pieces were created to allow devils to reincarnate other races. Fifteen pieces, named after the pieces on a chess set, that allow a high class devil to reincarnate others as their own servants."

"Seriously?" he blinked in surprise, "That easy?"

"I wouldn't call it easy." Kiba shrugged, concealing his wings again. Kirito took the hint and hid his own, "But yes, once you reach High Class, you earn the right to ask the devil kings for a set of Evil Pieces of your own."

Almost immediately, he reached a plan that just might be enough to appease Asuna's anger at his recklessness. But he still had one thing left to ask.

"Can I tell anyone else? About the whole being a devil thing?" He asked, though Kiba didn't seem the least bit surprised.

"I'm assuming that this is about that girl?" Kiba asked him back, "In that case, I don't think you'll have the problem. Just for the sake of answering, though, you can, but make sure that they keep it to themselves. If it got out, it could endanger you and all of us."

"Got it." He smiled, "Thanks."

"No worries." Kiba replied, "Let's get back and see if they've finished."

* * *

The question of who 'they' were was answered as soon as they reached Asuna's room.

"Welcome back, boys." Rias said, sipping tea beside Asuna's bed while the nurse from before was standing beside a teapot that was already steaming, "I hope you don't mind, but I've been bringing Miss Yuuki up to speed on recent events."

"I did say that you probably wouldn't have to worry." Kiba chuckled, shutting the door behind them while Kirito stared in shock.

"Is what they're saying true?" Asuna said, looking at him curiously, "You're a devil?"

"Yeah, I guess." He chuckled nervously, expecting her to snap at him, but she sighed and leaned back in her bed.

"I don't know why I should be surprised." She said with a small smile, "This is the absolute craziest story I've ever heard, but somehow, it fits."

"Sorry I didn't say anything before." He said truthfully, sitting in the chair on the other side of the bed, "But like you said, it was so crazy, I didn't think you'd believe me."

"Of course I believe you." She replied swatting his arm, "You know that. It's a lot to take in, but at least I know what's going on."

"Asuna, I-" He started, but she held up a hand.

"I might not have understood much of what she was saying, but there is one thing I remember." She smiled, looking him in the eye, "I expect you to become a high class devil as soon as possible."

"You mean it?" He said softly, "Asuna, you-"

"Of course." She smiled back, "Just don't take too long. I don't want to become a devil when I'm an old woman."

"Well then-" Rias said, drawing both of their attention away from each other, "Kazuto, you'll have a package when you return home. I hope that you're fine with transferring school." Asuna opened her mouth to respond, and Rias gave her a smile, "I've already gone ahead and transferred you along with him. Don't worry."

"You can do that?" Kirito asked, and the nurse giggled.

"Her father's on the school board." she answered, handing him and Asuna each a cup of tea, "So it's not much trouble for her to get away with whatever she wants."

"Akeno, you're making me sound like a delinquent." Rias said, rubbing her forehead, but she smiled at Asuna, "She's right though. As soon as you're fit to return, you're welcome to come to the school. I'll see to it that you're in Kazuto's class."

"Is there anything you didn't think of before this meeting?" Kirito asked, shaking his head in exasperation.

"I pride myself on thinking ahead." Rias responded, and with a wave of her hand, a glowing red circle appeared beside both Asuna's bed and the table beside Kirito. Out of the two circles appeared a large stack of books. "I know that you're both a tad behind on school work, but poor grades aren't allowed. So I expect you to study hard, alright?"

"I'll do my best." Kirito said with a mock salute, while Asuna picked up one of the lighter textbooks and flipping through it.

"I'd planned to ask my father to bring me something to read, but this should be plenty to keep me busy for a little while."

"Here-" Kiba said, handing him a slip of paper, "If you need any help, give me a call. I'll help as best I can."

"And if you still need help, I'll pitch in to help my newest junior." Akeno added, and then gave Kirito a small smile, "Speaking of, I haven't introduced myself yet. I'm Akeno Himejima, Rias' Queen and a third year at Kuoh. It's nice to meet you, Kazuto Kirigaya."

"N-nice to meet you too." Kirito bowed back.

Getting to her feet, Rias smiled at them both, "Well, we've taken up quite enough of your day. Kazuto, I'll see you soon. And Asuna, I wish you a speedy recovery. I'll ask one of my bishops if she can help. She's very good with healing."

"I'd appreciate it." Asuna smiled back at her.

"See you later." Akeno said, following Rias out the door, and Kiba waved before following after her as well.

Leaning back in his chair, Kirito let out a sigh, "That was so not how I expected this day to go."

"Me neither." Asuna admitted, but she gave his hand a reaffirming squeeze, "But I'm happy about one thing, at least. Now I really will be able to spend an eternity with you."

Kirito squeezed her back, "You're right. I promise, I'll be high class before you know it."

"That's my Kirito." She replied.

* * *

After spending a few hours with Asuna, Kirito returned home after her parents came to visit. Just like Rias said he would, there was a package waiting for him in the living room. Inside, he found a notice that he'd been accepted into Kuoh Academy, several school uniforms, and various information about the school, clubs, and the like.

His adopted parents were still a work, but since Sugu wasn't downstairs or back behind the house in the dojo, she must not be home. After dragging the package upstairs to put it away, along with the study materials Rias left for him, he pulled out his Nervegear and his laptop from before SAO. Since he had bought an Amusphere the day after Asuna was rescued, he really didn't need it to play any games, but there was still something very important he needed it for.

Booting up the laptop, he set to work creating a virtual space within the computer, then moved a large file from the Nervegear's local memory to the virtual space. After some configuration and toying around with an old VR map creator he'd bought before Sword Art Online was announced, he connected the Nervegear and loaded up MHCP-001.

Almost immediately, a little girl appeared on the screen. She blinked a few times then smiled, "Daddy!"

Plugging in his microphone, he replied, "Hey, Yui. I used an older software to create a temporary environment for you. I'm not sure how compatible your program will be with it, though. Any chance you can perform diagnostics?"

"Sure!" She replied happily, closing her eyes again. While he let her work, he pulled out one of the workbooks he'd gotten from Rias, and with a sigh, returned to battle his greatest enemy.

Homework.

An hour and a half later, he heard a knock on his door, "Kazuto, are you there?"

"Come on in, Suguha." He answered, thankful for any excuse to put down the math book.

She opened the door and looked over his shoulder at the computer, "What's all this?" She asked, and at that moment, Yui opened her eyes.

"It looks like that's everything." She said simply, "I've made the necessary changes to the best of my abilities. There aren't any major errors as a result of my core program, so I should be able to handle all the maintenance for the foreseeable future."

"That's great, Yui." He answered, "Well, Sugu, as you can probably guess-"

"Hi, Yui." Suguha said into the microphone without letting him finish, "Do you recognize me?"

Yui tilted her slightly, "Are you… Leafa? You look different…"

"Yeah, I guess I do. "She chuckled back, "It's nice to see you again, Yui."

"You too." Yui responded, "But why aren't you on ALO?"

Breaking the bad news to her, Kirito answered, "Once everyone found out what happened to Asuna, they… The game was shut down. So soon after SAO, when the market's already on edge for VRMMORPGs…" Shaking his head, he gave her the brutal truth, "I don't know how long it'll be before we can find another game like it."

Suguha also looked sad. It was to be expected, of course. He'd loved the game for only a few days, but for her, who spent months playing it, this must have been a devastating blow.

"Couldn't you make one, Daddy?" Yui asked, "Isn't that what the other file is for?"

"What other file?" he asked, and she opened the local storage on his Nervegear. For some reason, there was a massive file that took up nearly all of the remaining space on his Nervegear. The moment he looked at the last author, he realized exactly where it had come from.

"Heathcliff." He said softly, "Sorry, Yui, but I need to check this out."

"Sure daddy." She answered cheerfully.

"Anything I can do to help?" Suguha asked after seeing the serious look on his face.

"Can I borrow your computer for a bit?" He asked, already loading up the files.

* * *

"I can't believe this." Andrew Mills, better known as Agil said the next day when Kirito brought him the contents of Kayaba's 'Seed', "This is an entire Full Dive system, complete with world editors and system controls. Where'd you get it?"

"A parting gift from Heathcliff." Kirito responded, to Andrew's shock.

"And you haven't deleted it because?" He asked immediately.

"I owe him something, given he helped me save Asuna." Kirito responded, "I'd like to go public with it, but not until I'm sure that it's safe. I spent all last night examining it as best I could, but I didn't find anything. Yui too, and she literally went through the entire source code. But I'm still not convinced."

"So you want me to pass it along and see if someone with a bit more training then a first class gamer and a literal computer program can find anything?" Andrew guessed, and Kirito shrugged, half expecting him to refuse. "...Man, I still owe you for bailing us all on during SAO." He sighed, "I'll pass it along. No promises that it'll amount to anything, but I'll ask them to take a look at it."

"I appreciate it." Kirito said truthfully, ejecting the flash drive containing 'The Seed' and passing it to him, "I'm going to check a few more angles to see if I can find out more."

"Yeah, gotcha." He waved, "Tell Asuna to get well soon. As soon as she's out, I'm calling the old gang together for a party."

"Looking forward to it." Kirito smiled, "It's two months overdue, but better late than never." Looking at the time, he grabbed his backpack from the stool beside him, "I've gotta go. I'm expected at Kuoh Academy for a tour, and if I missed the train, I'll be late."

"Kuoh?" Andrew asked, "Weren't you going to the school for the SAO survivors?"

"That was the plan, but things changed." Kirito shrugged, "At least it's not too far away, so I can still meet up with you guys on weekends."

"Suppose so." Andrew said, waving goodbye while he left the Dicey Cafe.

After a twenty-minute train ride, Kirito took a quick walk from the station to the entrance to Kuoh Academy. Kiba was already waiting for him.

"Hey." Kiba said with a wave, "Made it okay, I see."

"Sorry if I'm a little late." He waved back.

"You're fine." Kiba answered, "Anyway, shall we get the tour started?"

"Yeah, let's go." He replied, following Kiba's lead into the school. It was pretty big, though not as big as the school that was being set up for the SAO survivors. The school layout was nearly identical to the map in the brochure he'd been sent with his acceptance application, though it did help to know which classes he'd have to attend in the first few days of school while he was still getting used to everything. Outside, he was given a quick tour of the archery range and the Dojo, though because club activities were under way, they weren't able to stay long.

The last part of the tour was the old brick school behind the main building.

"I figured we'd save the best for last." Kiba said, "This is the headquarters of the Occult Research Club."

"Occult Research?" Kirito said with a raised eyebrow, and Kiba chuckled.

"Yeah, it's a pretty bad lie." He said, opening the doors, "You'll see soon enough. But for now, let's introduce you to everyone." Walking through the foyer and up the stairs, Kiba knocked on the first door to the left, "It's me."

"Excellent timing. We were expecting you." A familiar voice said from inside, and Kiba opened the doors.

"Hello, Kazuto." Rias smiled from the other side of a desk directly across from the door, "Welcome to the Occult Research club."

"Hey." Kirito waved, looking around the room. Akeno was standing just behind Rias, but there were a few others he didn't recognize.

"Sup." The little girl with white hair said, stepping forward and extending a hand, "I'm Koneko."

"Hi, I'm Kazuto." he said, shaking her hand, and her grip nearly crushed his hand.

"You're tougher then the pervert." Koneko said approvingly, jerking her to the sigh.

"It's not my fault my he's got lead for bones…" The brown haired boy in question mumbled, getting up from the couch and extending his hand as well, "I'm Issei Hyuudou."

"Hi, I'm-" He started again, but Koneko stopped him.

"I wouldn't touch him if I were you." she warned, "You don't want to know where those hands have been."

"That's awfully mean, Koneko." Akeno giggled, but she didn't refute the claim.

The last person in the room that he wasn't familiar was a girl with a kind expression and long blonde hair who almost looked like she was trying to hide behind the door.

"H-Hello." She stuttered, "I-I'm Asia Argento… I'm looking forward to working with you…"

"It's nice to meet you too, Asia." he said, extending his hand towards her. She stared at it for a few seconds before enthusiastically shaking it with a smile and a few tears.

"Now that introductions are out of the way, let's move on to our real business." Rias smiled, gesturing for him to come closer to her, "I'd like to welcome you into the Occult Research Club."

"I'm guessing that this is more than just a school club?" He said, and in answer, every member of the club (Except Issei, who looked dejected) spread their devil wings.

"Yes, the club provides a legitimate reason for us to meet after school to conduct our devil business." She replied, "Of course, that's no excuse for you to slack off at school. So we'll have to do something about that." With a smile, she waved her hand and a huge stack of books, enough to even put the stack she'd given him before to shame, appeared on the table between them, "So we'll have to whip you into shape before you start school next week."

Given the heartless giggle from Akeno, he had a feeling that this was not going to be enjoyable.

* * *

So, next chapter Kirito starts to make a mark on the DxD canon, and you'll be happy to hear that its a good deal longer then this one, just over 5600 words long without any A/N. There's also a bit of a reveal next time, and more action then in this one, though that's nothing compared to the two chapters after it.

Now, another question to everyone. Not guaranteeing anything, but would you rather me skip parts of the SAO canon that don't change much (GGO, Calibur, etc) or write them anyway? There aren't any colossal changes planned for any of them, and I could likely cover them in a chapter or so, but if you REALLY want to see Kirito cutting bullets in half and touching the untouchable, I can see whether I can write them in their entirety. Again, not making any promises, and I won't be releasing an actual poll, but let me know what you guys want.

With that said, go ahead and review!


	3. Training Camp

GBK 3

So, I'm uploading this one a bit earlier then intended mainly because I'm not sure if I'd be able to update as planned due to RL stuff, and I'd rather update a bit early then not be able to update for a while. Especially given my track record for getting back to stories after RL stuff...

Disclaimer: I don't own Highschoold DxD or Sword art Online. I am a fan of both series who likes to writing probably more then he should.

* * *

Kirito swallowed nervously as he waited in the hall. Inside, he heard the teacher call the class to order, and then she started to introduce him.

"Everyone, today we'll be having a new student join us." She said, and he took his cue to enter the room.

"G-Good morning." He stuttered, bowing in front of the class, "My name is Kazuto Kirigaya. I'm looking forward to working with you all."

"Kazuto, if you could take a seat next to Issei, we'll be able to begin class." The teacher smiled, and Kirito took the seat next to one of the only people in the class he knew.

"Be careful!" A girl whispered as he passed by, "If you hang around Issei too much, you'll be corrupted!"

"I'll be careful." He replied with a slight smile before sitting down for the start of class.

At lunch, Kirito was, as predicted, swarmed on all sides by girls asking him questions. Though he tried his best to answer the questions, he quickly lost track of who asked what, and what their names were. Inwardly, he almost wished he were still in SAO, where at least he'd be able to see their names above their heads.

"Um, I guess my hobby is gaming." He answered about twenty minutes after the questioning started, "I've never really been good at sports, though I did practice kendo when I was younger."

"Wow." The girl who asked the question, Murayama, said almost like she was surprised, "So, are you going to join the kendo club?"

"Nah, I'm not nearly that good." he chuckled, "But I got invited to join the Occult Research Club, so I was planning on joining them."

"Lucky!" One of the few guys in the group said.

"Yeah, we are pretty lucky." Issei said from the desk next to him, ignoring the angry looks of jealousy from the two guys in front of him.

"Kirito, listen, you need to be really careful." Murayama's friend, Katase, warned him, "The ORC's full of really cool people, but Weasel boy-" She jerked her thumb rudely at Issei, "Also managed to get in. Keep as far away as possible. Trust me, it's for your own good."

"Sorry for living." Issei mumbled into his lunch.

"You should be." Murayama said harshly, and Issei almost started to cry.

"Don't worry, Issei. I'm glad you're alive." Asia said, softly patting Issei's head.

"Thank you Asia. You're such a good girl." Issei said tearfully before getting punched by both his friends.

"Drop dead!"

"Why you gotta be keepin' all the hotties for yourself?!"

"Those three are gross." Katase scoffed, "Don't worry though. Kiba's a member of the ORC as well, and he's awesome."

"So, Kazuto..." the girl called Aika Kiryuu asked with a bizarre grin, "Do you have a girlfriend?"

For the first time since lunch started, the room was entirely silent. Even Issei's group, which wasn't at all interested in questioning him before were looking at him expectantly.

"Well, I guess I do..." Kirito stuttered in response to the unexpected question.

"Oh?" Kiryuu said, looking around at all the other girls who seemed utterly heartbroken, "Sorry girls, but he's not on the market."

"Jackass!" Issei shouted along with his two friends, much to Kirito's confusion.

"Oh, that sucks." Katase sighed, "So what's her name? Did you go to school with her before you transferred?"

"Asuna." He answered, "and yeah, something like that. She said she'd be transferring here in the near future."

"Stupid pretty boys." Issei cursed.

* * *

"Did you have an enjoyable first day?" Rias asked that afternoon when Kirito followed Issei back to the old school building for the Occult Research Club meeting.

"Yeah, I guess." Kirito said, scratching the back of his head, "I'm pretty sure I failed all the classwork though. After two years, I guess a week of cramming isn't enough..."

"Don't worry about that." Rias said, "Akeno and I will help you get back on track."

"Sorry to trouble you." Kirito bowed slightly, but Akeno just giggled.

"There's no need for you to apologize. It's not your fault, after all. You couldn't help it."

"In the meantime, Kiba-" Rias said, turning to the blond knight who just walked into the room, "Why don't you and Kazuto go and get a bit of training in?"

"You sure?" Kirito asked, but Kiba just nodded.

"Got it. I'm guessing you made arrangements with Meguri ahead of time?" He asked her, setting the papers he was carrying down on the table.

"Of course." She replied, turning to Kirito, "Don't worry too much, alright? I hear you did some kendo when you were younger. I'm just curious at what level that skill is now."

"That's fine." he nodded, "Then let's go."

"Sure." Kiba said as they walked out of the room.

Five minutes later, they walked into the school dojo, where the girl's kendo club was busy practicing. As soon as the door opened, all of them turned to look.

"Kiba!" They squealed almost all at the same time.

"Hello ladies." He waved to them, "Is everyone doing alright? Working hard?"

"Sure are!" Katase replied from the front, "So what are you guys doing over here?"

"Well, I heard my new friend here used to do some kendo, so we were just wondering if we could have a little practice match." Kiba told them, then turned to a girl in the back of the dojo with reddish brown hair, who was also the only one in the group who wasn't previously engaged in a practice match of their own, "Meguri, I'm sorry for the short notice."

"Not at all." She nodded, "Alright girls! Clear the floor! For now, everyone observe Kiba and-" She looked at him quizzically for a few seconds.

"Ah, my name is Kazuto Kirigaya." Kazuto said, suddenly realizing she didn't know his name.

"Kiba and Kazuto then." She nodded.

"Ma'am!" The club said immediately, running to stand along the edge and leaving the center of the dojo empty.

While Kiba and Kirito changed into their protective gear, he couldn't help but chuckle, "Sorry about that, Kazuto. Every now and then, the girls ask me to do an exhibition match so they can pick up a few tricks."

"Nah, it's cool." Kirito assured him, "I didn't think they'd make such a big deal out of it though."

"Well, we'll have to be sure to live up to their expectations, won't we?" Kiba said, grabbing one of the shinai from the back of the room.

"I'm guessing I shouldn't hold back then?" Kirito asked, and Kiba fearlessly nodded.

The two exited the changing room to the cheers of the girls, taking their respective positions. Kiba took a standard kendo stance while Kirito instead used what he knew best. The girls all started muttering amongst themselves, though neither Kiba nor Meguri raised any objections.

"Begin!" She called out, stepping out of the way.

As soon as Meguri started the match, Kiba darted forward even faster than Suguha, forcing Kirito to dodge since he didn't have time to parry. The follow-up slash was almost the same speed, and Kirito quickly stepped back to avoid it.

"Not bad." Kiba smirked, "I can't remember the last time someone dodge me so easily."

Taking a calming breath, Kirito gripped the shinai tightly in his hand and charged. Kiba raised his sword to block the attack, but he realized too late it was a feint. Unable to move to block, he instead stepped backwards to dodge. Kirito's attack missed him by mere centimeters, and on sheer reflexes, he tried to follow up with his other, empty hand.

Realizing too late his blunder, Kirito couldn't do anything to stop Kiba from hitting his wrist before he could correct himself.

"Winner, Kiba!" Meguri called out while Kirito nursed his hit wrist.

"Sorry about that." Kiba said, running to check on him, "You okay?"

"Yeah, fine. "he nodded, "Good match."

"Mind if I ask you something?" Kiba said as they went to change out of their protective gear.

"Go ahead." Kirito nodded.

"You're used to using two swords, aren't you?" Kiba asked.

"...Figured you'd have seen through that." Kirito sighed, "Yeah, I guess you could say that I am. Though I've never actually used two swords in kendo."

"So where'd your skill come from?" Kiba asked, "You said you haven't done kendo in years, and I find it hard to believe that you're this good rusty."

"You mean Rias didn't tell you guys?" Kirito said in surprise, and Kiba shook his head.

"She's probably told Akeno, but the rest of us didn't know anything beyond your name until we met last week." Kiba answered.

"Well, I picked it up in a game." Kirito said, "A VR game you've probably heard of..."

Kiba's eyes widened, "Sword Art Online?"

"The very same." Kirito nodded, "So I guess I didn't have much of a choice but to learn fast if I wanted to survive."

"That's terrible." Kiba sighed, "At least you'll be able to put those skills to good use, right?"

"Yeah, that's right." he nodded.

When they finished changing and returned to the dojo, the girls were already back at work, though Meguri waved them over before they left.

"Good job, both of you." She said, facing Kirito personally, "You said your last name was Kirigaya?"

"Yes ma'am." he nodded, "Why?"

"Are you Suguha's brother?" she asked him to his surprise.

"Cousin, though we were raised like siblings since before either of us can remember." He replied, "Do you know her?"

"I fought her at the nationals last year. It was a narrow win, but I can safely say she's probably one of the strongest human in the country." Meguri said to Kirito's surprise.

"Oh, that's right." Kiba said with a light laugh, "I forgot that no one told you. The Gremory's aren't the only devils in the school. Meguri here is the knight of Sona Sitri, the student body president."

"That is surprising." Kirito nodded, though both Kiba and Meguri could tell he wasn't half as surprised as he appeared to be.

"Anyway, Meguri, we'd better get back to Rias. Keep up the good work." Kiba said to her with a small wave.

"Sure thing. And both of you are welcome any time you want to practice." Meguri said as she saw them off.

As soon as the old school building came into view, Kiba pulled Kirito aside into the forest.

"While I'm thinking about it, why don't I make some sword for you?" He said with a smile.

"Make swords?"

"Right." Kiba nodded, holding out his hand. In a flash of light, he was holding onto a long sword with a pitch black blade. "I've got a scared gear called Sword Birth hat let me create swords at will. It'll probably take a bit of time, but I should be able to create something pretty close to what you're used to."

'Sacred Gear?' Kirito thought to himself, but he didn't voice his question. Instead, he began to list off as much as he could recall about his sword as possible. Within minutes, Kiba was able to recreate the Elucidator, identical right down to the feel of the grip.

"Good and heavy." Kirito said as he gave it a few practice swings, "It'll probably take some time to readjust, though."

"And here's a sheath for it." Kiba said as he created the sheath for the blade, which Kirito strapped to his back. And after a few more practice swings, he was able to easily sheath it without any problems.

"Let's get started on your second sword then." Kiba said, sounding almost eager, but he shook his head.

"I'd rather get used to using one sword again before I try and relearn dual blades. This isn't a game anymore, so I want to be absolutely sure that I'm ready before I take that step." Kirito said, gripping the hilt on his back, "For now, this is plenty."

"Alright." Kiba smiled, "Then let's get back and show that off to the others, shall we?"

"Right on." Kirito said, following after him. The weight of Elucidator felt refreshing on his back after months without it.

As they approached the main meeting room of the old school building, they could hear the sounds of voices shouting, and when Kiba went to knock, there was a violent crash.

Kiba threw the door open and Kirito jumped in behind him. Issei was lying on the floor struggling to get up as a girl with blue hair holding a staff in her hand charged at him.

Kirito jumped between them and unsheathed Elucidator as quickly as he would've in SAO, and the staff shattered the instant it came into contact with the blade.

"I don't know what's going on, but get away from my friend." Kirito warned the girl looking down at her staff in shock, "I really don't like having to knock out chicks."

"Issei!" Rias shouted, running over to the defeated pawn. Kirito chanced a look away from the girl and saw that she wasn't alone. More than a dozen other were waiting patiently in the back of the room, though a man with the same cocky sneer as Sugou stood at their front.

"So this is the infamous Red Dragon Emperor?" He laughed, "What a joke. Though at least your knight proved a little more entertaining. Tell me, boy, do you know who I am?"

" Nope." Kirito replied, "Don't care either. The only word for someone who attacks my friends is 'enemy'."

"Cocky little shit, aren't we?" He sneered, a torrent of fire held in his hand. Suddenly there was a sound like a clap of thunder that left everyone in the room clutching their ears.

"That will be quite enough." A silver haired woman in a maid outfit said as she stepped between Kirito and the rest of them, "I repeat, Lord Riser, that there will be **no** disruption of peace. This will be your final warning."

"...As you say." he replied, gritting his teeth as he allowed the fire to die out, "Well Rias? What will it be? Will you accept the game, or will you accept your fate?"

"Grayfia, tell my brother that we accept." Rias said, angrily standing up and walking in front of Kirito, "Riser, believe me when I say that we will annihilate you."

"I'm looking forward to it." He smirked as he and the rest disappeared in a flash of fire.

"That was intense." Kirito sighed, sheathing his sword, "So, what's happening everyone?"

"You did all that without knowing?" Kiba said, eyes wide.

"I saw Issei on the ground and reacted." he shrugged, "Anyone?"

"I'll keep it brief while Rias is talking with Grayfia." Akeno said while Rias and the silver haired maid stepped aside, "That man was Rias' Fiancé, Riser Phoenix. He and Rias had a slight disagreement about that, so they've decided to have their servant fight it out to determine who's right."

"Oh. Alright." Kirito nodded, "So basically we'll just kick their collective asses?"

"Basically, but it's a lot harder than that." Akeno chuckled, "As you might've noticed, we're a bit outnumbered. And if we went up against them now, we're pretty much screwed."

"Why's that?" Kirito asked, and she pointed towards the couch where Issei lay resting after his ordeal.

"Because you and Issei aren't fully trained." Kiba answered for her, "Issei has almost no battling ability, and you haven't reached the point where you can fight at your best either."

"I beat that girl earlier." He protested, and Koneko responded.

"She was about an eighth as strong as Issei, which makes her only marginally stronger than a human. Against a Knight or a Rook, you'd be killed."

"So, what's the plan?" he gulped nervously after hearing Koneko's ominous premonition.

"That's for Rias to decide, I guess." Akeno replied as Rias and Grayfia returned.

"It's been decided that we'll have a ten-day training camp before the Rating Game." Rias told them all, "Akeno, I need you to let Sona know that we'll all be out of class for the next nine days starting tomorrow."

"Yes ma'am." Akeno bowed, leaving the room immediately.

"Everyone else should go pack for training camp." Rias said, "got it?

"Yes ma'am!" Everyone said at the same time.

Kirito returned to the 'dorms' that Rias had provided to pack. Though it was called a dorm, he couldn't help but think it was complete BS. The dorm room consisted of two bed rooms with queen sized beds, a large bathroom, an eat-in kitchen, and a living room complete with TV, couches, and the Amusphere he'd bought with the money his mom gave him for getting into Kuoh.

"I guess I won't have time for games for a little while." He sighed after deciding against packing the Amusphere. The Bag Rias had provided for him was soon filled with around a week's worth of clothes, along with his cell phone and laptop computer that he could hopefully use wherever they were going to end up.

Just in case, he quickly dialed the second number on his speed dial, and she picked up after the second ring.

"Hello?" She asked.

"Hey, Asuna." He smiled, "How was your day?"

"Kirito!" She replied before hastily correcting herself, "I mean, Kazuto... So, how was your first day of school?"

"Well, I think eventful is the only way to describe it." He sighed, "But long story short, I might've dragged Rias into a fight with her Fiancé, we're leaving to do some power leveling IRL for the next ten days, and I've got Elucidator strapped to my back again."

"Oh." She said, seemingly accepting all of those crazy claims without any trouble, "Well, hopefully when you get back, we'll be able to meet someplace besides the hospital. The doctors think I'll be alright to leave some time later this week."

"That's great." He smiled, "What would you say to having a little date once I get back?"

"I'd say absolutely." She said eagerly, "I'm holding you to that, you know."

"Yeh, I know." He nodded, "And I've never broken a promise to you before, have I?"

"Nope." She said with a smile he could hear even over the phone. The sat in silence for a few seconds before she continued, "Kirito... try to keep in touch if you can, but just make sure that you're safe, alright?"

"Yes ma'am." He said with a grin, "I'd better go. Rias'll probably want us up early."

"I'll talk to you later." She smiled, "I love you, Kirito."

"I love you too, Asuna." He said honestly, and both of them hung up at the same time.

* * *

The next morning, the club was called to the old school building at five o'clock, where Rias and Akeno were already waiting for them with four massive backpacks as well as two much smaller bags.

"Alright then, if Koneko and the boys will take these, we'll get going." She smiled.

"So... who's taking this one?" Kirito nervously asked, staring at the backpack bigger then he was. Koneko just grabbed it with one hand and hefted it onto her back without a word. That left three big, but not completely unmanageable bags for the three boys to carry in addition to their own.

"So where are we going, president?" Issei groaned from underneath his own bag.

"We'll be warping most of the way there." She answered, raising a hand and creating a large red magic circle on the ground, "It's an island that my family owns. So we've got free reign to do whatever we need to."

Kirito couldn't help but shake his head in amazement. Somehow, even with everything that's happened to him recently, he was still surprised to hear her casually mentioning that her family owns an island. The group huddled up inside the large red circle, which flared to life as the scene around them disappeared. When they arrived at their destination, Kirito immediately recognized the fresh sea air. Opening his eyes, he couldn't help but notice one thing about this island.

It was dominated by a massive mountain. The white sand beaches they were standing on only lasted for about a hundred feet in front of them before they reached an uncountable number of stairs leading up onto the mountain.

"The house is up this way." Rias said as she started to climb the stairs followed by all the girls and Kiba. Kirito and Issei just groaned and followed after them, backs aching from the overly heavy bags.

twenty-five minutes later, the finally reached the top of the stairs, where they found a huge wooden mansion.

"It's not much, but it'll do." Rias smiled as she put her bag on the ground, "Everyone, let's go put this stuff away and then get started.

"This is going to be painful..." Kirito chuckled nervously while Issei started to cry.

Once everyone had picked a room and put away their bags (Issei wasn't happy to learn that the bag he was carrying was filled with cooking utensils), Rias called them all into the dining room.

"Alright, now, Kiba, Koneko, and I are going to be doing our own training for the time being. In the meantime, Kazuto, Issei, and Asia are going to be learning magic from Akeno."

"Oh, hell yeah!" Issei shouted, "Finally we're getting into the good stuff!"

"I dunno..." Kirito shrugged, "I've got a feeling that I won't be good at it."

"Don't get discouraged before you even try it." Akeno said encouragingly as the others leave the room to do their individual training.

The three quickly gathered around Akeno, who started the lesson by placing four bottles of water on the table in front of them, "Now, to start you need to visualize the aura surrounding yourself." Holding her hands out in front of her, she continued, "Then visualize your aura forming a sphere in your hands."

All of them watched a ball of yellow light appear in Akeno's hands, then started bouncing around.

"Cool." Issei shouted, already trying himself to no avail. Kirito and Asia both began to try it as well.

"Um... am I doing it right?" Asia asked timidly a minute later, and both Issei and Kirito looked over to her. The ball of green light in her hand was much smaller than Akeno's but it was still about the same size as a baseball.

"That's great, Asia!" Akeno said, clapping excitedly, "You're a real natural at this."

"Yeah, I guess she's doing alright..." Issei nervously, "But she's not the only one..."

Kirito glanced over to see that Issei had a speck of light, no bigger than a grain of rice floating in his hand.

"Um, you should be able to do a bit better." Akeno told him, "Just keep at it. I'm sure you'll get it in no time." She then turned to Kirito and smiled encouragingly, "Everyone learns at their own speed. Don't let it get you down, alright?"

"No worries." he replied, sitting down on the floor and closing his eyes.

Slowly, he started to drown out all other sounds in the room. Issei's vocal complainants, Asia and Akeno's continuing encouragement, and even what might've been a small explosion. Instead, he focused only on the sound of his own breathing.

'Visualize.' he said to himself, tensing his hands while visualizing an aura around his body. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he felt something like a shock, and his eyes shot open. In front of him, Akeno, Asia, and Issei were staring at him in surprise.

"W-What?" He stuttered before looking in his hands. A black ball, easily the size of a basketball, was hovering silently in front of him.

"That's incredible!" Akeno cheered, "See? I told you could do it."

"Way to show off, dude." Issei huffed, holding a ball of red light the size of a golf ball this time.

"T-T-Thank..." Kirito started until there was a black spark in front of him that caught their eye. Looking down, he gasped as the ball in his hand started to swell while shooting off sparks before exploding in a cloud of black mist.

"W-Wh..?" Kirito asked, looking around at the fearful Asia, the smug looking Issei, and Akeno who looked puzzled.

"Well, that's a bit of a surprise." she said simply.

"A bit of a surprise?" Kirito asked, "That's all? Isn't it not supposed to exploded?"

"Well, not unless you want it to." She agreed, "And you didn't want it to, did you? So it's pretty surprising that it did. I've never seen anything like it. Maybe Rias has."

While the carefree vice-president left to find the president, all three of them were left to gape as the last of the black mist dissipated.

It was more than fifteen minutes before Akeno returned with Rias, who's school uniform was now burned in several places.

"Kazuto, would you mind trying one more time?" She asked, sitting directly across from him, "I've got a few ideas, but I can't be sure unless I see it for myself."

"Sure, I guess." He nodded, closing his eyes to concentrate again. No matter how hard he tried, however, he couldn't get it to work again until he felt someone place a hand on his shoulder.

"Just relax, alright?" Rias whispered into his ear, "You can do this."

Nodding his head, he tuned out everything once again until he could no longer hear even Rias' encouragement. Finally, he felt the same shock as before, and his eyes snapped open. Slowly, the ball of black energy was returning. And just like before, it kept expanding while shooting off sparks until Rias touched it with her hand. The magic instantly stabilized.

"So, there we have it." She said with a strange look, "Your problem, Kazuto, is two-fold. First, your magic is strong, but unless you focus on it and nothing else, you can't summon it. That's why it was so difficult to bring out."

"Then, um..." Kazuto said as soon as she stopped touching it, and it exploded again, "What's with that?"

"That is a well-documented problem with reincarnated devils." She smiled, "You, my dear servant, have a sacred gear hidden deep within you."

"What?!" Everyone but Akeno shouted, but she just chuckled.

"It's a fairly common problem that occurs when humans with Sacred Gears are reincarnated as devils before their sacred gear manifests." Rias explained, turning to her Pawn, "Issei, do you remember the first time you activated your sacred gear?"

"The first time?" He frowned, "You mean against that fallen angel chick?"

"That's correct. Something else happened, didn't it?" Rias nodded.

Issei's face turned perverted, "I made her clothes fly off..."

"Exactly. At that moment, you became able to recognize the difference between magic and the boosted gear, and your magic exploded outward in an attempt to actualize your desire. Being Issei, this resulted in her clothes being destroyed. If your sacred gear hadn't activated yet, you'd be having the same problem as Kazuto is now."

"So I can't do anything until I unlock my sacred gear?" Kirito asked, thoroughly confused about what was going on, "And how exactly do I do that?"

"I dunno." Rias smiled, "That's your homework for this training camp."

"Fun." He said sarcastically before looking at Rias and grinning, "One more question. What's a sacred gear?"

* * *

Kirito literally collapsed into his bed that night. Once they finishing explaining that he apparently had a unique power that they knew nothing about, Issei and Asia got to continue learning to do magic while he had to discover how to use something he'd never used before, without knowing how to do it, or even what it did. Needless to say, it was a mostly wasted hour.

Kiba had eventually called him out to the side yard for some sparring, which soon turned into a full blown battle as Kiba polished his techniques and Kirito vented his frustrations. Afterwards, he got a few tips from the three sacred gear users in the group, though none of it was very helpful.

Asia apparently first unlocked her Twilight Healing while praying to god that a puppy could be saved. Kirito found out, the hard way, that God's reaction to devil prayers is splitting headaches.

Kiba's own advice, while slightly more helpful, still didn't amount to much. He recommended meditating and trying to activate it on instinct rather than trying to force it. While the idea was solid, no progress was made.

Issei's only advice was picture the part he felt was the strongest and focus all of his energy on that part. Unfortunately, the only part of him that he felt was strong was his reaction time, and that's not something you can just focus on.

And so his training ran into a brick wall, so to speak.

"Man..." He sighed, "Why's this gotta be so tough?"

Even though his body protested, he struggled over to his bag and withdrew his cell phone. As expected, however, he didn't get a signal.

"Figured." He muttered, putting the phone away and sitting back on his bed.

As he closed his eyes to sleep, there was a knock on his door. Not trusting his ability to walk across the room, he called out, "It's open!"

The door opened and Rias walked in, "Good work today, Kazuto." She smiled, "Sorry to bother you so late."

"It's fine." He sighed, "But Koneko hits hard. I've never felt so sore. I think my bruises might be bruised."

"Asia said that she'd make a quick round before she went to bed, so hopefully you'll only have to worry about them a bit longer." Rias said with a sad smile, "Have you tried to call Asuna yet?"

"Just now, but no signal." He shrugged painfully.

"Here-" she replied, tossing a phone through the air, "Try that one."

Kirito flipped open the phone, and to his surprise it got a signal just fine. Rias turned to walk away with a smile, "Every devil needs a devil phone. And the underworld has excellent cell coverage."

"Rias." He called out, and she turned around again, "Thanks."

"No problem. See you in the morning, and have pleasant dreams." She smiled back before walking out of his room and shutting the door behind her.

Kirito quickly dialed Asuna's hospital phone number, and she was clearly waiting for the phone to ring as it was picked up immediately.

"Hey." He smiled as he lay back and closed his eyes.

* * *

The training camp passed by much quicker then Kirito was expecting. In seemingly no time at all, they were already three days away from the Rating Game against Riser Phoenix. During that time, he'd made zero progress towards unlocking his sacred gear, and though he'd gone to a few of the lessons Akeno had with Asia and Issei, his magic remained completely unstable and unusable. Thankfully, his swordsmanship training with Kiba, as well as muscle training were proving much more fruitful, so the training camp wasn't a complete bust.

"Everyone, take a few days to rest, alright?" Rias told them after they returned to the school two nights before the game, "Don't push yourselves too hard if you're going to train. As we are now, I'm confident we can win this game no problem."

"YEAH!" They shouted, probably a little too loudly for the time of night.

"Rias." A voice said from behind them, and they all turned around. The girl walking towards them wasn't immediately familiar to him, but evidently she was to the rest of them.

"Hello Sona." Rias smiled, "Sorry for the noise."

"It's fine. I thought this might happen, so the area has a noise cancelling barrier around it." She replied calmly, "I was simply curious about the results of your training camp. Did everything go as planned?"

"Does it ever go as planned?" Rias chuckled, "But I think it was worth doing regardless. And I'm going to enjoy pounding Riser into the dirt."

"Sounds like you've regained some of that famous Gremory fire." Sona smiled, "Don't let it burn too brightly however. Remember that the other side has an inferno as well."

"Duly noted." Rias nodded.

"Very well." Sona said simply before turning, to his surprise, straight to him, "You're Kazuto Kirigaya, correct?"

"Y-Yes ma'am." He stuttered back.

"I thought I should inform you that while you were away, your roommate moved in. Please be mindful when returning to your home." She told him calmly, "And please be on your best behavior."

"Of course..." He answered, and she turned and walked away.

"Well, I think that's everything." Rias continued like nothing had happened, "Everyone, I'll be in touch. If you find any bruises or get any new injuries over the next few days, Asia's kindly offered her services to ensure that everyone's battle ready."

"Please feel free to give me a call if anything happens." Asia said with a cute bow.

"We meet up in two days at midnight. until then, Dismissed!" Rias smiled, and they all staggered home.

Kirito quickly unlocked the door to his dorm room/apartment and hurried to his bedroom, only to find the door shut. Since the other room was vacant, and he was too tired to care, he just collapsed into the free bed and fell asleep.

The next morning, he woke to the most wonderful smell in the world. The smell of bacon, sausage, pancakes, and eggs. Even his sore muscles couldn't keep him off his feet as he charges out to the kitchen. What he saw blew his mind.

Humming a sweet tune, the chestnut haired beauty flipped the pancakes while tending to the bacon in a separate pan. Clearly having heard the door open, she turned around and smiled.

"Good morning Kirito. I hope you're hungry."

* * *

Assuming everything turns out okay (and even if I doesn't, provided I'm actually able to to) I'll be uploading chapter 4 on my birthday, the 23rd. As always, feel free to review. As I'm sure you've probably guessed, the Rating Game with Riser starts next chapter, so you'll have something to look forward to.

Don't forget to leave me some feedback about the future SAO arcs I mentioned last chapter.


	4. Let the Games Begin

GBK 4

Hey guys, has everyone been looking forward to this? I hope so, so let's get right into it! Enjoy watching Kirito throw down with some of the Riser's pieces.

Disclaimer: I don't own SAO or DxD, though I seriously considered asking for them with my birthday wish.

* * *

"A-A-Asuna...?" He said in shock, and she just sighed.

"Of course it is, dummy." She smiled, "Who else would it be? Now come eat breakfast. I'm not just cooking for my health you know."

"Y-Yeah," He stuttered, walking over to the table and sitting at one of the places Asuna had set, "What're you doing here?"

"Well, when I got out of the hospital a few days ago, Rias apparently made arrangements for me to be enrolled started next week, so I moved into the dorms." She said while continuing to make breakfast, "She didn't even mind when I asked if I could be your roommate. In fact, she apparently gave us this room with that in mind."

"I'd say I'm surprised, but at this point, I don't think I could." He chuckled while digging in to the delicious meal. Meanwhile, in order to keep with Rias' instructions to take it easy, he decided to devote the rest of the time before the game trying to unlock his sacred gear.

"I hope you know I'm going to want a full account of your training camp." She continued without even turning back to him, "I've only been here a few days, but I've already heard the rumors about this 'Issei Hyuudou'. If you let him talk you into doing something stupid like peeking on the girl-"

Kirito immediately started to choke on his food for a few seconds before he was finally able to breathe again, "Of course not!" He said quickly, "I wouldn't!"

"Not even on me?" She grinned, and he was at a complete loss for words until she broke down laughing.

"That was so mean." He sighed, "So how are you doing?"

"Alright I guess." she shrugged, "I'm fine standing, though walking is still a bit of a problem without crutches. I'm getting better every day though."

"I'm really glad to hear that." He said honestly.

"How about you?" She asked, dishing up the last of the food. Kirito hurriedly ran to her aid, at a complete loss of how she managed to bring the rest of the food over if she could only walk on crutches.

"Fine I guess." He shrugged, and to his surprise Asuna grabbed his hand a lot harder than one would expect from someone who literally hadn't moved for over two years.

"What's wrong?" She asked him with a worried look, "I know that this... game thing of yours, is a pretty big deal, but I've never seen you with such a serious look on your face."

Sighing, he gave her a slight smile, "That easy to read?"

"Always." She smiled back, letting go of his hand and grabbing the crutches leaning against the counter, "If you tell me, maybe I can help."

"It's a little complicated..." He started to chuckle until something hard landed on his foot.

"I do hope that you don't think that weak line is going to let you get away." Asuna warned, digging the foot of her crutch into his foot, "We've got all the time in the world today, so you're going to explain it over breakfast. Understood?"

"Yes." He said quickly as soon as she finished talking, and thankfully she released his foot and walked over to the table. Grabbing the additional two plates, he followed after her.

"I guess the situation in a nutshell is that I'm the weakest link on the team." He said as soon as he took his seat and Asuna gave him 'that' look. The 'start talking before I find my rapier' look.

"I find that hard to believe." She said encouragingly, "You're Kirito. You can't be the weakest."

"I'm not Kirito." He shook his head, "I'm just Kazuto. I'm the devil who can't use magic. All I have is my sword, and I know it won't be enough."

"Kazuto..." Asuna started, but he just shook his head again.

"Rias and the others are counting on me, Asuna. We can't win the Rating Game against Riser if I'm holding us back. And the only way I change that is if I can unlock my sacred gear, which I have no idea how I'm supposed to do." He sighed again, "And whatever it is, I've got two days to find it."

"Two days will be plenty of time." Asuna smiled, grabbing his hand once again, "Because this time, I'm here to help. And you and I have never met a boss we couldn't beat, have we?"

Kirito gave a small smile, "Nothing but the Fatal Scythe."

To his surprise, Asuna smiled, "That why we're missing one person from this party, aren't we?"

After a very filling breakfast, Kirito went with Asuna to her room (Their room, she reminded him) and retrieved an old laptop from one of her bags. He'd left the laptop with her when he went off to training camp. In the living room, they sat next to each other on the couch and opened the laptop.

Immediately, their daughter, Yui, appeared on the screen.

"Good morning mommy!" She smiled, "And Daddy's home too!"

"Morning Yui." They said at the same time, with identical smiles.

"Okay, Yui, Daddy needs some help." Asuna smiled, leaning in to whisper to the microphone, "Think you can help us out?"

"Of course!" Yui said proudly, "Leave it to me!"

"See?" Asuna smiled at him, "Between the three of us, we can figure anything out. So, let's get started. What do you need to do?"

* * *

Asia Argento hummed a tune to herself as she walked through the halls of Kazuto's apartment complex. So far, she'd been around to everyone else's homes to check in and the worst injuries had been a few bloody knuckles that Koneko got while doing a light workout. Though it wasn't just Kazuto she was here to see.

Knocking on the door, she heard someone on the other side say that it was open, so she stepped inside.

"Excuse me." She said politely as she closed the door behind her. She didn't really have to look very hard to find him, sitting perfectly still on the floor in the living room. On the couch behind him, a woman with long chestnut brown hair waved happily after setting aside a laptop.

"Hello." she smiled, "You must be Asia. Rias told me you'd be stopping by. I'm Asuna Yuuki. It's wonderful to meet you."

"It's nice to meet you too, Asuna." Asia smiled, looking over to Kazuto who hadn't reacted in the slightest to her presence "Is he alright?"

"I think so." Asuna nodded, "But when he's training, he tends to block out everything else."

"Is he still trying to unlock his sacred gear?" Asia asked, but it wasn't Asuna who answered her.

"Of course! Daddy's training really hard to beat up that bird guy!" The computer said happily.

"Yup." Asuna smiled before looking at Asia's shocked expression, "Oh, that's right. How rude of me." Turning the computer towards Asia, she saw a girl with long black hair smiling back at her, "Asia, this is Yui. It's a little strange to say this, but she's our daughter."

"Your daughter?"

"It's a really long story..." Kirito sighed, getting back to his feet, "Still nothing. I feel like we're missing something."

"We've got time." Asuna smiled.

"Good afternoon, Kazuto." Asia bowed politely.

"Good afternoon, Asia." He replied, "Here to check up on me?"

"Yes, and Rias asked me to see if I could do anything to speed up Miss Asuna's healing as well." She nodded happily.

"Thank you, Asia." Asuna smiled at her.

"It's my pleasure." Asia blushed.

While the two girls excused themselves to the bedroom, Kirito sighed and laid down on the couch.

"Are you okay, Daddy?" Yui asked worriedly, "I'm sure we'll find a way very soon."

"I know." He nodded, closing his eyes to get some rest, "But the question is whether I'll get it in time."

* * *

Two days later, at eleven o'clock, Kirito climbed out of bed and strapped his sword to his back. Even with Asuna and Yui's help, as he thought, unlocking his Sacred Gear in two days was impossible. The only thing he could rely on was the sword on his back.

"Wish me luck." He whispered to the sleeping Asuna before walking out the front door.

The Occult Research Club met, like always, inside the old school building. Kirito was one of the last to arrive, just in front of Issei and Asia at eleven thirty. Rias looked around at all of them and smiled.

"Is everyone ready?" she asked them confidently, "Tonight's the night that we show Phoenix that Gremory doesn't shy away from fire and battle. Even if our foe is the immortal bird itself, we will be victorious!"

"YEAH!" They roared loud enough to almost deafen them all.

"Rias." A voice said from the door, along with a knock.

"Come in, Sona." Rias said, sitting back in her seat while her friend walked into the clubroom.

"Forgive the intrusion, but I wanted to wish you all the best of luck." She said with a very slight smile, and to Kirito's surprise, someone else followed her in.

"Kirito..." Asuna smiled, walking towards him without the aid of her crutches thanks to Asia's healing.

"Hey." He waved, "What's up?"

"I asked Miss Sitri if I could watch the game." She answered, "I'd expected you to wake me up before you left though."

"sorry." He apologized softly, but she just shook her head.

"Don't be." She told him, "But I had something I wanted to tell you before the game. I'm glad I made it in time." Adopting a serious face, she gripped his hand lightly, "You can do this."

"I'll do my best." He nodded, but she just gripped his hand tighter.

"No, I don't just mean the game." She told him, "I mean that you can unlock your sacred gear."

"Asuna..." He shook his head, but she responded by stomping on his foot.

"You can do it." She repeated much more forcefully, before she returned to a smile, "You're the Black Swordsmen. You can do anything you set your mind to because you don't give up until you have. And the only place you belong is on the front lines. You could never move forward just sitting around the house. That's why, I know. Kirito, you'll do it tonight."

Kirito just stared at her in stunned silence, along with the rest of them, but as the words sunk in, he felt his heart start to race. Whether it was because what she said was true or simply because he loved her, he didn't really care. Gripping her hand back, he turned to Kiba, "I'm gonna need that second sword."

Five minutes later, he held Dark Repulser in his left and Elucidator in his right. And with that second sword, he felt his strength return. He could do it. He WOULD do it.

"Thanks Asuna." He said, sheathing both blades on his back, "Wish me luck."

"Always." She replied, kissing him on the check, "Just make sure you kick his ass once for me."

"Only once?" He snarked, "You've mellowed out since we left SAO."

"Fine. Kick his ass until you're satisfied." She laughed back, but her face turned serious soon after, "Just make sure you come back to me in one piece, alright?"

"Always." He responded, hugging her tightly for a moment before Sona cleared her throat.

"Then we'll be taking our leave, Rias." Sona bowed, "We are in charge of the broadcast, after all."

"Well, I hope we can put on a good show." Rias waved back to her.

"Oh, that's a given." she answered, "But if I was a betting girl, I'd say we're about to see you beat him seven ways from Sunday."

The moment the door closed behind them, Issei swung his fist at Kirito while shedding tears. The punch was slow, and the tears clouded his vision, so he easily sidestepped it, though the act was still a surprise.

"Get over here!" Issei shouted, swinging at him again until Kiba managed to get between them, "Damn you... how could you... I thought you were just full of it when you said you had a girlfriend... I trusted you!"

"Really Issei?" Rias sighed with an amused smirk, "Now is hardly the time to complain about your love life."

"But president-!" Issei cried, "It's bad enough that he's a damned pretty boy, but for him to flaunt his girlfriend so blatantly-!"

"If it's that important to you, then let's make a deal." Rias smiled at him, "Issei Hyuudou!"

"Ma'am!" He said immediately, complete with a salute.

"If we prevail in this battle, I will allow you to accompany me on a date." She said, cupping his chin, "So, can you forgive Kazuto for his offense?"

"A date... with the president..." He gulped, "Like, a real date, date? Not just a 'me buying you lunch sometime' date, right?"

"Of course." She replied, "So, what'll it be?"

Issei turned to Kazuto and he was actually shocked at the amount of passion burning behind his eyes, "Kazuto! LET'S KILL THEM ALL! LEAVE NOTHING STANDING!"

"That's no fair!" Asia protested, "I want to go on a date with him too!"

"Asia?" Issei stuttered, staring at the healer in shock. But he became even more shocked when Akeno draped herself over his shoulders.

"You sounded pretty manly just now, Issei." She whispered softly in his ear, though the stunned silence of the room made it easily audible to all of them, "I wonder... would there be another date open for me...?"

"A-A-Akeno..." Issei whimpered, completely unsure of how to respond.

"Am I interrupting something?" Grayfia asked as she appeared in the room from a large blue magic circle.

"Not at all." Rias answered with a straight face as Akeno climbed off of Issei and assumed her role as the dignified VP, "So, it's about time to get started?"

"That's correct." Grayfia replied, "My lady, I believe that you should know that Lord Lucifer will be watching the game tonight."

"Brother's watching?" Rias said in shock, but her shock was nothing compared to Kirito, issie, and Asia's.

"Your brother is Lucifer!?" The three gasped at the same time, and Rias sighed.

"...He is. "Rias sighed, "Didn't he have work? He can't just drop everything to watch every little thing I do..."

"My lady, as this rating Game was his idea, Sirzech felt that it was only proper to observe personally." Grayfia answered, waving her hand a creating a magic circle on the floor, "However, I've ensured that all of his work has been complete prior to tonight's game."

"Thank you, Grayfia." Rias smiled, "I'm grateful that my brother has someone like you at his side."

"Think nothing of it. If you're all ready, we can proceed to the arena." she bowed, "My lady, though I will not take sides, I wish you luck."

"Thank you." Rias repeated, walking past her and into the magic circle, followed closely by the rest of her forces, "Then let's get started."

* * *

When the magic circle activated, the Occult Research club was transported from the clubhouse to-

"The clubhouse?" Issei said, looking around, "Um, not to rain on anyone's parade, but I don't think it worked. What happened? Did I fuck up again?"

"Look outside." Akeno replied, pointing to the closed window which Issei quickly opened. The sky outside was purple, "This is an alternate space built solely with this game in mind. It might look like the school, but we can go all out if we want. There's no penalty even if the arena's not left standing at the end."

"Good evening, noble devils." Grayfia's voice echoed around them, "My name is Grayfia, a servant of the house of Gremory, and for this Rating Game between Lord Riser Phoenix and Lady Rias Gremory, I have been named as arbiter. The stakes of the game are as follows. Should Lady Rias be victorious, her engagement to Lord Riser will be void. However, if she falls, she will lose all standing to object to this marriage."

"I just have to win." Rias muttered softly to herself in the back of the room.

"It was decided that the choice of arena should be left solely to Lady Rias to decide." Grayfia continued, "As such, we have constructed an exact replica of Kuoh Academy, the school in the human world which Lady Rias attends. The Gremory team will be based in the old school building, while the Phoenix team will hold the new school building. Pawns may promote if they make their way to the opposing team's base. The battle will begin in thirty minutes."

As soon as Grayfia's voice disappeared, Rias started to unfurl a map of the school and placed it over the desk in the clubroom.

"Alright, we need to sure up our defenses." She said, gathering them all around the desk, "Any thoughts?"

"We can't exactly just waltz up to their base, can we?" Kirito asked them, accepting a communication device from Akeno.

"Not if we want to win." She nodded, "We don't have the forces to launch a frontal assault against him from the outset."

"A problem Riser doesn't possess." Rias added, "Which means that we'll need to leave someone here to guard against his pawns. Being flanked by eight queens would be the end of us."

"I can hold the line." Kirito suggested, "I've done it before."

Rias shook her head. "No, I'll stay here with Asia." She replied, "I can't move freely at this stage anyway, and with Asia's healing, I can take care of anything short of their queen or Riser."

"And if either of them do come for you?" Kiba asked her, and Rias just gave a slight smile.

"Then it's up to you guys to take out Riser before they can take me out."

"What's the plan, then?" Issei asked.

"Koneko, you and Kiba should go set some traps in the forest." She said, tapping the forest by the old school building on the map, "It's out of the way, but it's also a likely approach for the enemy, so we need to make sure it's secure. Akeno, you as well."

"Yes president." Akeno bowed, following after Kiba and Koneko. It didn't take long for her to work out a simple plan, but if it worked, they might just have a chance of pulling of a win.

"Kazuto, once the time's up, I need you to act as a decoy." Rias turned to him, "I need to draw out his queen as quickly as possible."

"So, I'm charging straight at them?" Kirito asked, and she nodded grimly.

"You won't need to win. Just keep her busy while Akeno finishes with the first stage. Once we've taken care of it, Issei and Koneko will join you and together you can take her down."

"I can manage that, I guess." Kirito grinned, "But does that mean that if I see an opening, I can't take her down solo?"

Rias gave a smirk, "Absolutely. You have my blessing to crush her mercilessly."

"Understood." He saluted, "Until then, I'll go get warmed up. Wouldn't want to get beat without a fight, now would I?"

"Please do." Rias said as he left the room, and then she turned to Issei, "Now, Issei, come over here and put your head on my lap."

* * *

A loud gong sounded thirty minutes later, and Rias' voice came through the communication device.

"That's your cue, Kazuto." She told him, "Think you'll be okay on your own?"

"Probably not." He replied honestly, "But too late to think of another plan. I'll head out now."

"Issei and Koneko are on route to the gym, and Kiba's guarding the forest, so hopefully they'll have thinned out the enemy ranks." Rias said while Kirito was running straight towards the main entrance to the school, "Akeno's on standby as well. If everything goes as planned, then all of you will be able to team up against Yubelluna. After that, it's just a matter of time."

"So, I've basically gotta hold off the boss until reinforcements arrive?" Kirito sighed, "Guess that makes me Heathcliff..."

"Sorry, what was that?" Rias asked, and he shook his head.

"Nothing. Just talking to myself." He replied, stepping out from behind one of the storage sheds onto the sports field. "I'm heading in. Wish me luck."

"Be careful." She replied, and the communication cut off.

Drawing both his swords from the sheaths on his back, Kirito charged forward and shouted, "Riser! Get out here and face me!"

For a few moments, there wasn't any response, but eventually a girl stepped out of the school entrance. She was dressed in a plain silver plate body and a white headband.

"Lord Riser is far too important to deal with a lowly devil like you." She said, drawing the sword she wore at her waist, "However, as a Knight of Lord Riser, I will be your opponent."

"So, you're a knight too?" Kirito asked, "Then I guess I'll have to defeat you in order to get to him."

"Not just her." A voice said from behind him, and he spun around. More of Riser's peerage had snuck around him, and he'd been so distracted by the knight coming at him from the front he hadn't even noticed.

'One, two, three...' He counted quickly, "Well Rias, no luck drawing out their queen, but it looks like I drew out the rest of them."

"Siris, this is my fight." The knight in front of him declared, "Stay out of it."

"Give it a rest with all that knight's honor crap." The girl with the broadsword as tall as she was replied, "Lord Riser's orders were to eliminate the enemy."

"Seven against one, huh?" Kirito said, taking a deep breath, "Well, it's been a while since I was this outnumbered, but I'll give it a shot." Pointing his two swords at the knights, "Bring it. You've got your orders, I've got mine. We'll let our swords do the talking."

"Ni, Li, take him out." Siris snapped, and the twin catgirls jumped at him. Blocking with the flat side of Dark Repulser, Kirito ducked under Li's attack and kicked her legs out from under her. A follow-up slash at her, however, was avoided when Ni pulled her out of the way.

"This guy's not bad." Ni said, noticing a nick on her shirt from Kirito's blade.

"But we can't let lord Riser down." Li told her, charging at Kirito again. This time, since the attack wasn't coordinated with Ni, Kirito sidestepped the attack and drove Elucidator hilt first into her stomach. With the wind knocked out of her, he hit her with a weak attempt at Dual Circular. It was enough, though, and Li was knocked backwards in a shower of golden lights.

"One of Lord Riser's Pawns has been retired." Grayfia's voice boomed overhead, but Kirito could only hear it for a second before he was blindsided by Ni. Her savage punch knocked him across the field, where he was grabbed by the rook with a mask covering half her face.

"Don't think that we'll be thrown off by you defeating a single pawn." She warned him, "This isn't our first Rating Game, you know. You shouldn't let your guard down."

"Yeah, you're probably righ-" Kirito started until the area was rocked by a devastating explosion.

"Three of Lord Riser's pawns and one of his Rooks have been retired." Grayfia announced, and everyone reacted this time. This wasn't just a lost pawn. A full quarter of their forces were lost in an instant.

Taking advantage of her distraction, Kirito swung the Dark Repulser, forcing her to let him go in order to avoid it.

"Don't let your guard down." He mocked her, taking a quick look around to size up the remaining enemies.

"Kazuto, can you hear me?" Rias asked, and he nodded, "Issei and Koneko are on the way. Hold out for a bit longer."

"Roger that." He replied, blocking Siris' massive broadsword and jumping back to avoid a wave of flames from the bishop by the school entrance. Unlike before, it was fairly obvious that they weren't going to wait for him to get beat like they did before. Now he just had to hold off six of them until his backup arrived.

* * *

Asuna sat in one of the free chairs in the student council room, watching the live feed of the Rating Game. Sona and Tsubaki were charged with the broadcast feed for the underworld, and their feed was displaying multiple areas of action. Grayfia, meanwhile, was observing all of the battles at the same time, removing any members who she deemed to be unable to continue and sending them to be treated.

The feed that they'd set up for her, however, was locked to Kazuto. Next to her, she'd linked Yui's computer into the monitor so they could watch it together, and at least cheer him on since they couldn't help him with this fight.

"Kirito..." She said worriedly when the other six members of Riser's group started to attack him at once instead of one or two at a time.

"You don't have to worry, mommy." Yui tried to encourage her, "Daddy's too good to lose to them."

"Normally, yes, but..." she muttered, watching Kazuto narrowly avoid the attacks from the two bishops. Chancing a glance over at the other screen, she saw Issei and Koneko run to join the fray and she breathed a sigh of relief. It was now three to six, so at least they had a chanc-

A thunderous explosion filled her view, and she looked away from her screen over to Sona's. Issei and Koneko, just a few feet from Kirito, had been hit with an explosion. Koneko was able to push Issei out of the way before the impact, but she took the brunt of it and was left lying in the center of a crater.

On a separate screen, Kiba had eliminated all three of his opponents effortlessly, but he looked up at the sound of the explosion.

Across the room, Grayfia conjured a magic circle and Koneko became surrounded by golden light. The three that Kiba defeated quickly got the same treatment.

"Lady Rias' Rook, retired. Three of Lord Riser's Pawns, retired." Grayfia announced as the Phoenix queen came into view.

* * *

Next chapter has the ending of the Rating Game, though I won't say anything more then that. Oh, and the game takes up literally the entire chapter, so expect a lot of fights. I'm going to upload it either as soon as I finish chapter 6 or next friday, whichever comes first.

And keep telling me whether you think I should write the unimportant SAO arcs or just leave them as happening offscreen. At the moment, I'm leaning towards writing them, though not in depth. However, that won't be for quite a while yet, so there's plenty of time for me to change my mind.


	5. The Rating Game

GBK 5

As promised, since I finished chapter 6 earlier today, here's the conclusion of the Rating Game! The next chapter's with my beta, so I'll be uploading it as soon as I get it back from him.

Disclaimer: I don't own DxD or SAO.

* * *

"Koneko!" Kirito shouted, running over to the crater just in time for him and Issei to watch Koneko vanish in a shower of golden light. Both of them looked up and saw the Phoenix queen floating down towards them.

"So many pests..." She sighed, "And I only got one too. How very shameful."

"Get down here, you bitch!" Issei shouted, his hand getting covered by the Boosted Gear, "I'll take revenge for Koneko!"

"Calm down, Issei." Kirito said, putting a hand on his shoulder to keep him from charging at her.

"Issei, Kazuto; Akeno and Kiba are on their way." Rias told them quickly, "Get out of there and we'll regroup afterwar-"

"Rias, how long would it take for Akeno, Issei and Kiba to take down all of them?" Kirito asked, cutting her off.

"Kazuto, you can't be seriou-" She started, but he just shook his head.

"It was my job originally, so I'll take care of it." he replied, "Even with Kiba and Akeno, the four of us are at a disadvantage here. I'll keep her busy while the rest can deal with them. It's too risky to let them keep the advantage like this."

"It's still reckless." She replied, and he shrugged.

"Well, what's the worst that happens? I lose and you guys have to make do without me for the rest of the game? You've just gotta make sure that you take care of my share for me." He said, lowering both of his swords, He took a step towards the queen, "Yubelluna! Fight me!"

The queen giggled softly, "Now what makes you think that you're worth my time, little boy? Don't think that just because you can hold your own against these little girls that you can take on someone of my caliber."

"I can't force you to fight me." Kirito admitted with a fearless smile, "But is the queen of Riser Phoenix so weak that she can't even fight against a measly knight?" Chuckling, he added, "I mean, you couldn't even fight Koneko face to face. Are the Phoenix such cowards that you can only fight someone with their back turned?"

"You dare insult the house of Phoenix!?" One of the knights behind him shouted, charging at him, but Issei blocked her sword and knocked her back.

"Dress Break." He snapped, and her clothes were vaporized instantly. Before she could do more than gasp, Kiba came out of nowhere and slashed her across the chest. Before she hit the ground, she disappeared in a shower of light.

"One of Lord Riser's Knights, retired." Grayfia announced afterwards.

"I don't know what you're planning, but you aren't worth my ti-" Yubelluna started, but an orange circle appeared beside her head, and her expression turned to a scowl. Lowering her staff, she descended to the ground, "Very well, little boy." She smiled, "If you're so eager to meet oblivion, far be it for me to stand in your way."

"Gee, thanks." He said, raising his sword, "Shall we?"

"Come with me." She smiled, "After all, I wouldn't want our pieces to be caught in your defeat."

"I was going to say the same thing." he bluffed back, "After all, I can't very well fight at full strength this close to the others."

"Big talk." Yubelluna smirked before flying away again. Kirito gave a small wave to his friends before following after her.

* * *

"Kirito…" Asuna said worriedly, watching Kirito leave the battlefield with the enemy queen

"Mommy?" Yui asked, "What's happening?"

"Floor twenty-five…" She whispered.

"What?" Yui said in confusion.

"During the floor twenty-five boss battle, the entire raid was on the brink of failure." She answered, "The boss spawned minions and they flanked us from both sides. We didn't have the manpower to keep the boss preoccupied and fight the minions. It was a no win situation until a single party held the attention of the boss. Because of them, we were able to regroup and defeat the minions, and finally defeat the boss. The cost was high, though. The party that held the boss back for us was all but eradicated. There was only one survivor…"

"Daddy?" Yui guessed, and she nodded her head.

"This isn't any different." Asuna told her, "If they fight Yubelluna and the others at the same time, they don't have the strength to survive. But…"

"If a small party stops the queen, the main force can wipe out the rest with minimal interference." Yui smiled, "Daddy's amazing!"

"Yes, he is…" Asuna said softly, but she didn't have the heart to tell her that Kirito only survived floor twenty-five because the clearers had made it to him before he could be killed like the rest of the party.

* * *

"This should be far enough." Yubelluna said with a cruel smiled once they were near the ruins of the gymnasium Akeno had destroyed.

"So, ready to fight?" he asked, taking his stance.

"Fight?" She smirked, "No, no. You see, I'm going to kill you."

"Kill me?" He asked with a raised eyebrow, "How so?"

"Didn't you know?" She asked mockingly, "Even the retiring system of the Rating Game has its limits. If the damage is too severe, you can die the same as anyone. And for the insults you've uttered against my lord, I've no choice but to deliver the ultimate punishment."

"So, I'm fighting for my life again?" Kirito smiled, "This really is just like the old days. Well, in that case, I might as well go down fighting!"

Without another word, Kirito charged forward, swiping at where she'd been a split second before. Above him, Yubelluna's staff glowed with red fire and with a wave, the air around him exploded. A last second drop prevented any major damage, but he was still sent crashing to the ground. He could hear Rias screaming in his ear, but he tuned her out. Yubelluna launched several more explosive projectiles at him, and he knocked them away with his swords.

"I see you're not without some skill." She grinned, "In that case-"

The ground beneath his feet started to glow, and he jumped to the air just in time to avoid the explosion. Looking up, he found Yubelluna's staff an inch from his face. A small ball of black magic was focused at the tip.

"Bang." She grinned, and it exploded at point blank range. The skin on his face burned from the heat, and the force send him crashing into the ground. Both of his swords shattered from the force of the blast.

Still, to her surprise, he slowly got back to his feet. There hadn't been any announcement from the others, which meant that he couldn't let her leave yet. The diversion wouldn't mean anything if she made it back before they could finish.

"You should've stayed down." Yubelluna said, landing a few feet in front of him, "Grayfia might have retired you if you'd just stayed down. Now you've thrown away your last chance at survival."

"Listen to you." He replied, picking up the hilt of the elucidator, which at least had about a foot of the blade left, "If you've got time to talk, then shut up and fight."

"Lady Rias' servants really are suicidal fools." She said shaking her head, "As you wish, I'll end this now." A larger orb started to form at the tip of her staff, already five times larger than the one that had just hit him and still growing. "Farewell." She said, preparing to fire it.

"One of Lord Riser's Bishops, one of his knights, one of his rooks, and one of his pawns, retired." Grayfia announced, and Yubelluna's head snapped back to the direction where the others had been fighting.

"What!?" She growled, and Kirito saw his chance.

'Now!' He thought, charging forward. Her eyes looked back at him just before the blade hit her. The tip of her staff blocked the attack, incinerating the remains of the sword.

"I don't have time to deal with you!" she snarled, firing the blast of magic at him.

With the diversion successful, at least he could go down knowing he did his job. But going down quietly was never his specialty. The world seemed to slow down while the massive attack was moving towards him. Reaching out with the only weapon he had, he closed his eyes to try and bring out his magic. Maybe if he made it explode at the right moment, he could knock away the attack.

As he started feeling the heat of the incoming fireball, he felt something inside of him snap. The magic he'd been struggling to contain exploded out of his outstretched hand, and his eyes snapped open. The fireball was cut clean in half from the blade in his hand.

The Elucidator.

It wasn't like the one Kiba had created for him. This wasn't an imitation of his sword. He could feel it. This was the real deal. Extending the other hand, the second blade, Dark Repulser, appeared almost without him even being conscious of it.

"What is this?" She asked angrily, "I destroyed those swords!"

"Keep telling yourself that." He replied, taking his stance again while still trying to figure out what was going on.

"You insect!" She snarled, raising her staff again. This time, as though the staff was a lightning rod, she was blasted by a bolt of lightning.

"You can keep your grubby little hands off our Knight." Akeno said from the air above them.

"Akeno!" Kirito sighed in relief, and Kiba appeared just behind him.

"You did great, man." He said patting him on the back.

"I try." He said, wincing slightly from the pain in his back.

"Give up, Yubelluna." Akeno said, lightning crackling between her fingers, "Issei, Rias, and Asia are already on their way. You can't fight against all of us on your own, and I seriously doubt that Riser's going to come help you in time."

"I am a queen of the house of Phoenix." She scoffed, "I won't surrender to lowborn scum like you!"

"Too bad." Akeno sighed, before smiling, "Then I guess I'll have to make you. I hope you enjoy yourself, because I know that I will."

"You okay on your own?" Kiba asked him while Akeno's magic clashed with Yubelluna's.

"I'm fine." He answered, "Go give her a hand."

"Asia should be here soon." Kiba assured him, "she'll have you up and ready to get back into the fight before you know it." Smiling, he added, "I can't wait to see what that sacred gear of yours can do."

With that, Kiba's wings grew from his back and he took to the air, narrowly missing Yubelluna's leg with his first slash. She spun around to blast him, but Akeno's bolt hit her in the back and threw off her attack. The two of them worked perfectly in sync, stopping any attacks at the other with an attack from her blind spot. The arrogant smirk on Yubelluna's face had disappeared, replaced with a pained grimace. It didn't take more than a minute for her to fall to the ground.

"It's over." Kiba said, standing over her while she struggled back to her knees.

"Too bad." Akeno sighed, landing beside him, "I was really hoping to enjoy myself a bit longer."

"Oh?" Yubelluna chuckled, and Kirito saw her swallow something from a tiny glass vial. The wounds all over her body disappeared almost immediately, and she started charging another attack.

"Get out of there!" Kirito shouted, charging forward. The Elucidator glowed blue and he realized that without even thinking, he'd preformed Sonic Leap. His blade slashed her across the chest, and she was covered in golden light.

"Damn you-!" She cursed, and with the last of her strength, she redirected her attack and blasted him at point blank range.

"Lord Riser's Queen, retired." Grayfia announced, and Kirito's vision was filled with black smoke and golden light, "One of Lady Rias' Knights retired."

* * *

"Kirito!" Asuna shouted, and Yui let out a small scream at the moment that he was hit. Tsubaki placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"It's okay." She assured her, "He's already being treated. The wounds aren't severe."

"C-Can I see him?" She asked worriedly.

Tsubaki opened her mouth to respond, but the floor beneath her started to grow in silver light.

"Lady Grayfia?" Sona asked, looking to the arbiter overseeing the closing stages of the battle.

"She is travelling under my authority." Grayfia replied, "There's no cause for alarm."

"Thank you." Asuna said honestly, and she disappeared.

* * *

"Kazuto!" Kiba shouted, but it was already too late. His fellow knight was already being retired from the final attack.

"Phoenix tears." Akeno growled, "That bishop had them too."

"What's going on?" Rias asked them immediately after Kirito was retired, "What happened?"

"Kazuto took down Yubelluna." Kiba reported, "But her last attack took him out as well."

"Kazuto…" She sighed, "Well, we'll regroup and make the final push. Issei's already here. You two, get back to the Club house. We leave as soon as Asia's seen to our wounds."

"Understood!" They both answer, flying straight towards the clubhouse. On the other side of the map, Riser clearly wasn't pleased, as the new school building was burning to the ground.

* * *

Kirito slowly opened his eyes, and next to him, Asuna was smiling down at him.

"How are you feeling?" She asked him.

"Like I just got hit by a truck." He groaned, sitting up, "What happened with the game?"

"They're still fighting." A familiar voice said from next to him.

Koneko was sitting up in a bed, pointing at the other side of the room. Kirito followed her finger and saw a large television displaying a Riser facing against the rest of the occult research club.

"So, my pretty little bride doesn't know when to give up?" Riser chuckled, stepping out of the ashes of the old school building, "You should already know that you can't win. If you strike Riser down, he'll simply rise until you fall. The result was always set in stone. Why make this harder than it has to be?"

"You're all talk, Riser." Rias replied, the black power of destruction forming over her hands, "Even you have a limit. We need only to kill you until you've reached it!"

The two blasts tore Riser apart, but his body simply reformed from the flames, "Much easier said than done. But if that's your decision, I'll humor you and your pathetic servan-"

"You will not badmouth my servants!" Rias snarled, blasting him again without result.

Riser chuckled and raised a hand. Huge amounts of fires appeared in his hand and with a wave, it was blown towards them. Before it reached them, a bolt of lightning blasted it from the sky, dispersing it harmlessly.

"Don't forget, Lord Riser." Akeno giggled from the sky, "Rias isn't alone in this fight."

"Keep calm." Kiba cautioned, creating a sword made entirely out of ice, "If you are defeated, we lose. Stay back with Asia and Issei. Akeno and I will take the fight to him."

"Kiba…" She sighed, taking a step back, "Very well."

"Thank you ma'am." He said, dashing forward. Riser recoiled slightly when he seemingly appeared right in front of him, but he managed to jump out of the way before Kiba could slash him. Above their head, Akeno was chanting softly. The clouds in the sky darkened, and you could hear the sounds of thunder rumbling just out of sight.

"Numbers are meaningless when you're utterly outclassed." Riser said, and his entire body started to glow, "Allow me to provide you with a taste of my power!"

"Akeno, Kiba!" Rias shouted, remembering one of Riser's previous rating games, "Get out of there!"

Akeno was able to raise a barrier between her and Riser, but Kiba didn't have time to escape before Riser exploded, bathing the area in fire.

"Lady Rias' Knight, retired." Grayfia announced.

Across the room, one of the beds started to glow gold, and several unfamiliar devils ran into the room. Kirito only had a brief glimpse of Kiba before he was being tended to by the group, talking too quickly for him to keep track of what was going on.

"Kiba will be fine." Asuna said, holding her hand with a smile, "You were much worse before they got to you."

"Yeah, I remember." He winced, feeling the skin on his face. There wasn't any trace of the burns from Yubelluna's attacks.

"Kiba!" Rias shouted once the flames had cleared, "Damnit, Riser! I've had enough of you! This ends now!"

"You still don't get it, do you?" Riser asked with a soft chuckle, "Very well. Riser will entertain your rebellious streak as long as you wish. After all, once this is over, you'll be Riser's."

"Akeno, Rain!" Rias ordered, and the thunderclouds in the sky started to drizzle. in mere moments, it grew into a steady rainfall, and then to a full downpour.

"Countering fire with water." Riser shook his head, "Typical strategy for a virgin such as yourself."

"Riser, even you can't escape being caught in this downpour." Rias smiled, wrapping her arms around Issei and Asia and floating into the air, "Your body might be able to recover from the wounds, but the water on your skin will still conduct electricity."

"This is going to be fun." Akeno giggled, and a colossal bolt dropped out of the sky above Riser. Raising a hand, he tried to force it back with a blast of wind, but Rias' power of destruction disintegrated the arm before he could defend himself. Once the lightning struck him, Riser screamed in agony from the continuous damage.

"Akeno, keep it going!" Rias shouted over the deafening sustained thunder.

"I'll try!" She called back, "But I'm not exactly full power at the moment. I'll only have enough for another minute or two."

"That'll be enough." Rias said, turning to Issei, "Can you do it, Issei?"

"Of course!" He responded enthusiastically, "Leave it to me!"

"You have no play, Rias." Riser whispered through the pain, "This battle's over the moment your queen run out of magic. Surrender, and Riser will allow you to keep your ragtag group of servants. Refuse my generous offer and I won't settle for just retiring them. You'll be forced to watch as I kill each and every one of your servants."

Rias gulped nervously, but she shook her head, "Riser, this battle is OURS!"

"So be it." Riser answered, and he started to struggle against the lightning prison. Up in the sky, Akeno was visibly distressed, but she didn't say anything. Whether because she didn't trust herself to keep the lightning going while talking or just because she was determined to hold on until the end, they couldn't say.

"Boost!" The boosted gear announced.

"Rias!" Issei said, and Rias breathed a sigh of relief.

"Akeno, ten seconds!" She shouted, gripping Issei's sacred gear tightly.

"Transfer!" The boosted Gear roared, and Rias' aura exploded. A massive ball of her magic appeared above her head.

"Game over, Riser!" She shouted, "Even you can't withstand this attack."

"I-I Can!" He groaned, but he still couldn't move to avoid it.

"Brother!" A voice shouted from the other side of the field, and Akeno's eyes snapped over to the source. Riser's sister, his bishop, flew in between the two sides, "Stay away from my brother!"

"Get out of the way, Ravel!" Riser roared.

"Surrender, Riser!" Rias ordered, "Before your sister gets hurt!"

"Shut up!" Ravel interrupted, "Brother, I'll stop her attack. You need to escape from that and recover!"

"Ravel!" Riser shouted, but she didn't listen and charged at Rias. On instinct more than intention, Rias tossed the massive ball of magic at her. Riser screamed, trying desperately to make his body move, but he wasn't going to make it in time. 'I forfeit!" He shouted a split second before the attack hit her.

The attack was blasted aside by a single hand.

"Forfeit acknowledged." Grayfia announced from right beside the pale Ravel, "The winner of the match is Rias Gremory."

* * *

I'd originally planned for the game to be a lot longer, but it ended up being next to impossible to get it right. So sadly, you'll have to make do with this. I'll try and make the next fight longer. Anyway, next chapter is mostly setting the stage for future arcs, with some tidying up of the SAO parts of the story that have been neglected up until now. Again, it'll be out as soon as my beta goes through it.

As always, reviews are welcome. I always make an effort to respond to as many reviews as possible.


	6. The Seed

Gremory's Black Knight

I'm back, everybody, with a few new chapters fresh from my beta. So read on and enjoy.

Disclaimer: I don't own Highschool DxD or Sword Art Online.

Two days after the rating game against Riser, for the first time since that day, the entire occult Research club had assembled in the club house. In fact, it was also the first time that Issei and Kirito had come to school since the game. Issei's overuse of the Boosted Gear had caused him to lose consciousness for those two days, and Kirito's burns took extra time to heal even with Asia's Twilight Healing.

Though not an official member, Asuna and Yui had been invited to attend the victory party.

Once drinks had been handed out, Rias smiled and stood up, "Everyone, you did wonderfully! I've never been prouder. You've all more than earned a rest, but before that, we need to celebrate. So enjoy yourselves to your heart's content." Raising her glass, she said, "Here's to the Occult Research Club!"

"Cheers!" The club laughed, and with a wave of her hand, music started to play.

"You're looking better, Kirito." Akeno smiled once the party was well underway.

"Yeah, Asia's been amazing." He replied sheepishly, "I was probably fine yesterday, but Rias wanted me to relax and take it easy."

"I've seen to that." Asuna added with a smile.

Kirito sighed, "She wouldn't even let me out of bed."

As soon as he'd said that, Akeno giggled. "Oh my. So you guys have taken it that far?"

Immediately both of them flushed in embarrassment.

"Not like that!"

"That's not what I meant!"

"There's nothing to be embarrassed about." Akeno giggle, ignoring their denial, "After all, you're both at that age, and after what you went through, no one could fault you for-"

Asuna leapt forward and covered her mouth, "Shut up!"

"Daddy, what is she talking about?" Yui said, tilting her head in confusion.

"Nothing you need to worry about." He said quickly into the mic, and Rias came over and smacked the back of Akeno's head.

"Akeno, teasing Kirito is fine, but remember that there's a child present."

"Yes president." Akeno said politely, but she didn't stop laughing. Across the room, Issei was biting the back of his hand in frustration.

"I seriously want to punch this guy." He cried softly, and Akeno grinned. Giving them a wave, she walked over and sat beside Issei on the couch.

Leaning her head onto his shoulder, she whispered, "Speaking of, did you ever decide what we were going to do for our date?"

"D-D-Date?" He squeaked out, drawing their attention.

"Of course." Akeno answered, "You remember our promise right? Since we won, I owe you a date, don't I? If you haven't thought anything, don't worry. I'm sure I can think of something that'll make it a _very_ enjoyable afternoon for both of us."

"Akeno!" Rias shouted, stomping over to them, "How many times must I tell you, Issei is mine!"

"Now, now, he owes me a date too." Akeno said, pulling Issei's face into her cleavage, "Don't be so stingy."

"Akeno." Rias said dangerously, magic gathering at her fingertips.

Lightning flashed in Akeno's hand, "Yes Rias?"

Kirito and Asuna just managed to duck out of the room before the two started to battle.

"That was scary…" Asuna shivered, and Kirito nodded grimly.

"You should've seen them during the training camp. I'm still having nightmares." He replied, and the door opened again. After a quick view of the carnage within, Kiba and Koneko came running out with Yui's laptop.

"Here." Kiba said, handing the laptop to Asuna, "It's safer out here."

"Thank you." Asuna said honestly, and he nodded back.

"So I guess we're not going back in there until things cooled down." Kiba said, sitting down across from them, "You were awesome, by the way. I can't believe you took down Yubelluna."

"I didn't do much." Kirito shook his head, "You and Akeno did all the hard work."

"Me and Akeno would've been taken out if you hadn't finished her." Kiba replied, patting him on the back, "That last attack of yours was crazy. I couldn't even follow it."

"It was sonic leap, wasn't it?" Asuna asked, and he nodded.

"I don't really understand it, but yeah, it was." Holding out his hand, he imagined the elucidator, and it appeared instantly, "I think it's my sacred gear. If I really try, I can create almost anything from SAO, but swords and sword skills are the only things that I can use so easily."

"Sacred Gears respond to the heart of the wielder." Kiba told him, "It makes sense, if you think about it, that the only things you can create so easily are the things you trusted most of all during that game."

"I guess that's why the Elucidator came to me first." Kirito said, canceling his sacred gear, and the blade in his hand disappeared. "Though nothing I make sticks around for long."

"Give it time." Kiba said encouragingly, "Duration and variety come with experience. It wasn't that long ago that it took almost everything I had to create a sword that didn't break as soon as I used it."

"Yeah, I guess." Kirito smiled, "But I guess if I can't even keep my sword together, High class is still a long way away."

"You'll get there." Asuna said confidently, and on the screen, Yui nodded as well.

"You're going for High Class too?" Issei said, tumbling out of the warzone that was the club meeting room.

"Yeah, I am." Kirito replied, and Issei grabbed his hand and started crying.

"Finally! Someone else who understands my desire to become Harem Ki-" Koneko punched him square in the jaw and sent him flying backwards.

"Pervert." She huffed, sitting back down.

Issei got back to his cheek and started cradling his swollen jaw, "That hurt, Koneko! Why am I the only one who gets punched?"

"His goal is noble." She answered, "You're just a pervert."

"That is true." Kiba nodded thoughtfully, much to Issei's chagrin.

"You're the worst." Asuna huffed.

"It's not like tha-" Issei said, reaching towards her.

"Kirito." She said, and he nodded, already guessing what she wanted. The next second, Lambent Light was in Asuna's hand, and pointed directly at Issei's throat. "Touch me, and I won't just kill you, I'll make you suffer." She practically hissed.

"You go girl." Koneko said, eating some cookies from a box of snacks next to her.

Issei ducked back, "Kiba, save me!"

Kiba took one look at Asuna, then back at Issei and got to his feet, "I'm going to see if they've calmed down. If not, would anyone like something to drink?"

"Sure." Everyone but Issei replied, and he slipped into the clubroom again.

"KIBA!" Issei cried, hiding in fear in the next room over.

* * *

Grayfia stood silently behind her husband as he oversaw talks between Lords Gremory and Phenex regarding the now annulled engagement. Thankfully, neither side was particularly angry about the result.

"Once again, Lord Phenex, I'm sorry that my daughter ruined this engagement." Lord Gremory said as Grayfia refilled both men's drinks.

"Well, it seems we were both a little too greedy." Lord Phenex replied, thanking her with a nod, "Unlike so many households, both of our families are already secure for the generation. We shouldn't have tried to stack the deck."

"Sometimes it is best to let the chips fall where they may." Gremory nodded, "Though perhaps Millicas and your granddaughter…"

Lord Phenex let out a laugh, "Well, I think that is talk for next time, wouldn't you say? Besides, such things should be left to our successors. I'm sure Rias and Ruval will be able to talk things over in the future."

"Somehow, I doubt it will turn out that way." Gremory said sadly, "I find it unlikely that Rias will make the same mistake I did. She won't force her wish onto MIllicas."

"That might be for the best." Phenex agreed, "I'm indebted to your daughter and her servants. They helped to teach Raiser an important lesson. The power of the phoenix is not absolute. If my son has learned that lesson, and he grows into a stronger man because of it, then I don't mind enduring the ridicule from the other families about him losing a match in such a manner."

"I couldn't believe my ears when Rias told me that she'd taken in the Red Dragon Emperor." Lord Gremory chuckled, taking a long drink of his wine, "It seemed like something out of a dream. For a beast like that to come over to our side…"

Drinking from his cup as well, Lord Phenex looked at him seriously, "On that note, I should remind you to warn her of the dangers that come with having the Red Dragon under her command. Next time, it won't be a Phenex he faces. It will be another dragon."

"The white one, you mean?" Lord Gremory nodded, "Yes, I am aware. But I would rather not darken their celebration with such news. In time, I will tell them."

"And if something happens before then?"

"We will do what we must." Sirzechs Lucifer replied for the first time since the meeting began.

* * *

It was the better part of an hour before Asia managed to calm Rias and Akeno down. Somehow, even as they were fighting, the three managed to work out a schedule of their dates with Issei. Akeno would be first the following day (Saturday), then Asia on Sunday, and Rias would have him all to herself the next weekend. it wasn't perfect, but since she got him two days instead of just one, she wasn't going to complain too much.

On the topic of dates, Asuna turned to Kirito, "Speaking of, don't we have plans?"

"Yeah, we do." He nodded, "When do you want to go out?"

"Tomorrow morning. "Asuna replied, and he shook his head.

"Sorry, but I've got a meeting." he apologized, "Any other day."

"Okay, but with who...?" She asked.

"Koujiro Rinka." He answered, "Akihiko Kayaba's lab partner and accomplice."

"You can't be serious!" Asuna shouted.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Kiba asked worriedly.

"You're meeting with that psychopath's accomplice?" Issei said in disbelief.

"I don't think that she's a threat." He replied, "And if she is-" with a flick of his wrist, the elucidator appeared in front of him, "I'll deal with it. But I need to talk to her. She's the only person who might have some answers."

"I'm not sure I'm comfortable with you going to meet someone like that one your own." Rias sighed, "But fine. I expect you to contact me if anything happens. Understood?"

"Yes ma'am." He replied with a nodded.

The next morning, Kirito got up earlier then he'd have liked considering that the party lasted well into the early morning, but he had something he had to do.

Slowly, he got out of bed to avoid awaking Asuna, and took a quick shower. Just a few minutes after he threw on a clean pair of clothes, he heard the knock on the door. Grabbing the flash drive from the table, he headed out the door.

Waiting outside the door was a petite woman with short black hair. She was smiling, though it was obviously forced. Extending her hand, she said, "Good morning. You must be Kazuto."

"I am, and you must be Professor Koujiro Rinka." He replied, shaking her hand, "I'm sorry to have contacted you out of the blue like that."

"It's alright." She answered, "I can't blame you, given what you went through. Wanting answers is only natural. I just hope I can be of some assistance." Looking around, she added, "Well, I think the hallway's not a fitting place for a conversation. Care to go down the street for a cup of coffee?" She asked with the same forced smile as before.

"Sure." He nodded, glad that she hadn't asked to go inside the apartment. Asuna was already against this meeting. No reason to make her angrier.

Once they each had a cup of coffee and were seated in the small coffee shop, she finally dropped the smile, "Go ahead and ask away. I promise I won't lie to you."

"You and Akihiko Kayaba were close, weren't you?" He started, and she nodded.

"We were once very close. He and I were partners all throughout college, and even when he started working for Argus, I worked closely with him on Sword Art Online."

"Did you know?" He asked simply, and they both knew he didn't have to elaborate.

"No, but I'm just as responsible for all those deaths as he was." She replied, "I found him just after the game started. I knew him better than anyone, so I knew where he was likely to hide out. When I found him in that cabin, I fully intended to strangle him to death while he was diving. But I couldn't." When she saw the surprised look on his face, she actually managed a small, but sad smile, "Love makes you do stupid things, Kazuto. At the time, I knew what he was. I knew about the people who had died and would die, but I couldn't bring myself to stop it. And to make matter worse, I helped him. I took care of his body while he was diving, right up until the end."

After a few seconds of silence, she sighed, "Then one day, he logged out and started laughing. I wondered if he'd finally snapped, but he handed me a cell phone and told me to call the police, then lay back down and-" Shaking her head, "I don't know if he actually thought that he could digitize his brain or if he just wanted the same fate he subjected everyone else to, but he died then and there."

"He did." Kirito responded, taking the flash drive out his pocket, "I met him last month. He gave me this."

"What is it?" She asked, sounding genuinely confused.

"A complete fulldive system." He responded, "He gave it to me and said that I could do whatever I wanted with it."

"Akihiko Kayaba only ever gave me one thing." She said, placing a hand on her chest, "And that was a fake bomb implanted in my chest. If you're looking for my advice, I say delete it and don't even think about it again. But the choice is yours."

"Do you think it's safe?" He asked.

"I'm sure it is." she answered, "I don't know what Akihiko was thinking, but know that he never did anything without a reason. Even if that reason isn't known or understood by any of us. I won't tell you what to do, but remember that he gave it to you for a reason. Don't play into his hand like I did."

Glancing down at her watch, she stood up, "I'm sorry, but I have to go. I need to be in court in about twenty minutes."

"Sorry to call you out of the blue like this." He apologized again, and she smiled back.

"You remind me of him." She replied, walking out of the coffee shop and leaving him to his own thoughts.

"She really didn't try anything." A familiar voice said from behind him, and his head snapped around. Akeno and Issei were sitting in the booth right behind him.

"What are you doing here?" He asked, but he already guessed the reason.

"Well, Rias wanted to make sure you didn't get into any trouble, and Asuna also asked us to look out for you, so here we are." Akeno giggled, holding Issei's arm tightly, "Beside, I've heard that this coffee shop is a popular spot for lovers."

"L-Lovers?" Issei squeaked, and she smiled.

"Don't worry so much. I'll be gentle…"

"I'll be going." Kirito said quickly, leaving Issei torn between joy and unease.

* * *

Monday morning, while Kirito was hurriedly putting the finishing touches on the work he missed while he was recovering from the Rating Game, their homeroom teacher came into the room, accompanied by a familiar face.

"Everyone, we have a new student joining us today." She smiled, gesturing to Asuna, who bowed politely.

"Hello. My name is Asuna Yuuki. I'm looking forward to working with all of you." Asuna smiled at the class, who welcomed her warmly.

"Welcome, Asuna." The teacher said, pointing at the only remaining empty desk, "Please take the seat beside Asia for now."

"Yes ma'am." Asuna said, taking her bag over to the empty seat. The next few minutes, just like with him, everyone was asking her question, not giving her any chance to answer any of them. However, this time, he got just as many questions.

"So this is her?" Aika asked him, and he nodded in response, "You scored quite the hottie. Good for you." Turning to Issei and his friends, all of whom were glaring hateful daggers at him, she added, "It's too bad you guys can't take a page from Kazuto's book. You might actually get lucky one day."

"That's not very-" Kirito tried to say in his friend's defense, but they didn't even give him a chance.

"Drop dead!"

"Go to hell!"

"Damned pretty boy!"

"What's going on over here?" Asuna asked, walking over to Issei and friends.

"Asuna, be careful!" The girls shouted behind her.

"Those three are pure evil! You never know what they might do." another added, throwing herself between Asuna and the trio.

"It's okay." Asuna smiled coldly, "I'm sure they won't try anything."

"But-"

"Isn't that right, Issei?" Asuna asked, and the Red Dragon Emperor immediately bowed.

"No ma'am! I would never, I swear!"

"Bro, you might not, but I'd-" Motohama started to grin, but Issei forced him to bow as well.

"He doesn't mean it!" Issei said quickly, then whispered into his friend's ear, "You have no clue how terrifying she can be! She's the devil!"

Kirito couldn't help but admire the irony that a devil would be a so afraid of a human that he'd call her a devil. In this case, though, he couldn't very well fault him for feeling that way.

"I'm sorry?" Asuna said, snapping a pencil between her fingers.

"Nothing!" Issei answered, backing away from her as quickly as possible.

"That's what I thought." She nodded approvingly, turning back around to find all the girls in the class looking at her with admiration. "What's up?" She asked nervously, "Did I do something wrong?"

"No!" Murayama said, shaking her head quickly.

"You're amazing, Asuna!" Katase nodded in agreement, "How did you do that? We've tried everything!"

"It's not too hard." She answered sheepishly.

"I get it!" Murayama gasped, then grinned at the trio, "So, you pervs are afraid of what Kazuto might do to you, is that it?"

"Afraid of that pretty boy?" Matsuda scoffed, "Not eve-"

Sighing, Kirito jumped forward and placed a hand on his shoulder before he even finished speaking, much to everyone's surprise.

"Word of warning. There's a very good reason that Issei's afraid. if you're lucky, you two will never have to find out what that is." He said, patting Issei's terrified friend on the back before he walked back to his desk, completely oblivious to the stares of awe from the crowd.

"That was so hot…" Katase whispered, and Murayama smacked the back of her head.

* * *

"Rias!" Issei cried, hugging the president as soon as he got to the old school building. The rest of the club was already waiting except for Kazuto and Asuna who were just behind him,

"What's wrong, my little Issei?" She asked, lightly stroking the back of his head.

"Asuna! She- She told all the girls to let her know if I did anything perverted! I can't even peek at them without risking mortal injury!" He whimpered, much to Rias' disappointment.

"Honestly, you can be such a boy." She sighed as Asuna and Kazuto walked into the room, "How was your first day of school, Asuna?" She asked kindly, "Besides tormenting my adorable Issei, I mean."

"Pretty good." Asuna replied, "I bombed the classwork though. I spent too much time helping Kirito that I forgot to study."

"Kirito…" Rias said, turning to Kazuto, "You've called him that before, haven't you?"

"Yeah." He scratched the back of his head, "When we were in SAO, that was my username, so after two years, it's kinda hard to let old habits die."

"You don't seem to have that problem." She noted, and Asuna giggled.

"That's because I goofed. When I was registering and it asked for my username, I thought it meant my real name, so I was still Asuna." She answered, "I've been trying, but I can't shake the habit."

"Eh, not a big deal." Kirito shrugged, "I mean, Klein, Silica, Lizbeth, and the others still only call me Kirito, so it's not like you'd be the only one." Looking around the room, he added, "That goes for all of you too. If you want to call me Kirito, that's fine."

"Kirito…" Rias said thoughtfully, "It suits you, Kirito." Taking her usual seat behind the desk, she decided to start the club meeting now that all the members were in attendance, "So, how'd your meeting go, Kirito?"

"About as well as I expected." He replied with a small smile, "I didn't get any answers, but at least I got some advice on what to do with the Seed."

"Have you decided what you want to do?" Asuna asked when Rias just raised an eyebrow.

"If Agil's friend's checkup shows nothing wrong, I'm planning to have him set it up online for free." He answered her truthfully, "Which is probably what Kayaba wanted me to do with it in the first place, but... "

"You miss it, don't you?" Asuna said, and he looked back at her.

"So do you." he responded, "And god only knows that we have about as much reason to hate VRMMOs as anyone. Even if no one ends up using it, I'll release it just in case. Besides, I'd like to be able to interact with Yui like we used to."

"So would I." Asuna agreed with a smile, "Let's hope we get the chance."

"It seems you've left me in the dark about a few things." Rias said, "Care to explain over tea? We have a little while before it's time to start work."

"Work?" Asuna asked, looking at Kirito, who just shrugged.

"Guess we're going to find out." He responded before they went over things from the beginning of SAO to his rescuing Asuna from ALO.

* * *

Nobuyuki Sugou opened his eyes with a start, sitting up to find himself lying in the middle of the forest atop a slab of black stone. The wind around him was howling, so much so that he had to cover his ears.

But still he smiled. This was the second time he'd come to this place. This was where he'd met his benefactor. With the help of his benefactor, he'd have everything he deserves. Asuna, Rect, and of course that wannabe hero's head on a pike.

When the wind quieted down, he glanced up. Perched atop one of the trees was a raven, pitch black but for small specks of white like stars on the clear night sky.

The raven opened its beak, but rather than a call, it spoke to him, "Nobuyuki, it seems you've run into a bit of a tight spot. Not only have you failed to complete the research as you agreed, but you couldn't even kill the boy who ruined everything. I'm rather disappointed."

"It wasn't my fault!" Sugou shouted angrily as his eye was wracked with phantom pains of the sword that once pierced it, "There's no way that brat should've been able to reach her! And there's no way she should've survived! There's something else at work here!"

"I take it you still want to continue?" It asked, spreading its wings, "Will you give me the research I desire, and the head of the boy responsible, or will you renege on our deal and suffer the consequences?"

"Of course I still want to continue!" He replied, "But I can't do that from inside of a jail cell!"

The raven took flight, landing upon his forehead. He dared not move as it stared into his eyes.

"Wait patiently." It finally said, "I will send someone for you. He'll see to it you get everything you deserve."

"Thank yo-" Sugou started before screaming as the raven peak into his eye repeatedly.

Sugou awoke screaming as he clutched his eye. The forest was gone, and he was back in his jail cell. Drawn by the noise, the guards hurried him off to the infirmary. even with the tremendous pain, he managed a halfhearted grin. He'd bounce back from this, and he'd have what he wanted.

Asuna was his and his alone. Kazuto Kirigaya would learn firsthand what it means to take what is his.

* * *

So, I'm going to be skipping over the recap of the SAO canon for obvious reasons. Good news is that my beta returned not one but two chapters. So I will almost definitely be able to upload the next chapter next week.

Next time, the DxD canon moves on. It'll be a little while before I start work on the Death Gun arc, but you can expect a few changes for the Kokabiel arc. I'm still taking feedback on whether to go indepth for Phantom Bullet or not, so let me know. Reviews are, as always, welcome.


	7. Enter the Holy Sword!

GBK 7

Edit: A previously unbeta'd version has been replaced with a beta'd version.

Disclaimer: I don't own Highschool DxD or Sword Art Online.

* * *

"This isn't quite what I was expecting." Kirito said as he and Asuna drove down the street in his scooter, "Who'd have thought that devils delivered fliers by hand?"

"I'm not complaining." Asuna replied once they'd stopped and slipped another flier into a nearby mailbox, "I wouldn't be here if they didn't."

"That's true." He nodded, checking his phone, "How many more fliers have we got?"

"Six or so." Asuna answered, looking in the bag Rias had given her, "After that, we report back, right?"

"I think so." He answered, putting his helmet back on once he'd gotten the location of the next six houses, "Then let's get moving. I wanted to get some more work done on the mobile environment for Yui before we went to bed."

"You're such a workaholic." Asuna shook her head with a smile while he was driving down the street, "I can't believe you're the same Kirito who used to sleep instead of clearing dungeons on the frontlines."

"Hey, I just like to take it easy every now and then." He rebuked her, "Most of the time I was out clearing, remember? And I seem to recall someone falling asleep mere minutes after scalding me for it!"

"You may be right." She chuckled, "I don't regret it either."

"It's kinda funny. If you hadn't fallen asleep that day, we might still be inside SAO." He said softly, And Asuna nodded in agreement.

"I'm glad that we're not." Asuna replied, "As much as I loved that world, I much prefer being here, with you."

"Yeah, me too." He replied, "And I promise, we'll be together forever. I won't stop working until I'm a high class devil."

"Don't work too hard." Asuna giggled, hugging him tightly as they continued driving, "Feel free to rest in the grass every now and then. I'll make sure you don't get sleep pked."

"Until you fall asleep as well." He smirked before they shared a laugh.

Once the fliers were dropped off, the two returned to the headquarters of the occult research club. Rias welcomed them both back with a smile.

"Was everything alright?" She asked, "Were you able to find your way around? I know that you're still pretty new to the area."

"Not a big deal. The phone had GPS, so I just had to follow the directions." He replied, "I wasn't expecting 'work' to mean going around town dropping off fliers."

"Well, usually we have familiar for that." Rias admitted, holding up her palm. A small red magic circle appeared on her hand and a small red eyeball with wings appeared from the circle, "But I prefer to ease my servants into things. especially since you're new to the area. Once you've gotten the hang of things, we'll move on to the next step, which is making contracts."

"You mean like when we first met?" Kirito asked, and she chuckled.

"Well, I hope you don't run into any requests quite that serious for a while, but yes. We meet with clients and fulfill their desires for a predetermined cost. The requests that we receive daily range from making dinner for a lonely woman to exorcising spirits and eliminating stray devils. Naturally, you'd be much more likely to have the former, but since you want to move up in the ranks, I'll be giving you some of the tougher jobs a bit sooner than the others."

"Let me guess, if I make enough contracts, I get promoted?" He asked, and she shook her head.

"Well, it's not that simple, sadly. It used to be that that was the best way to get promoted, but it's very rarely done anymore, in favor of other methods. You'd need to make a major contract in order to receive a promotion on that alone. I believe the last devil to be promoted that way successfully performed a coup d'état and elevated the client to the head of a nation's government."

"That's not good…" Asuna gasped, and Rias nodded.

"However, they're not without merit. The number and quality of your contracts will certainly be a factor if and when your name is brought up for promotion, and the proceeds you make from your contracts are yours to keep, so there's that as well. And once you've been promoted, you and your own servants will have to do this for yourselves, so some practice is always a good thing."

"You mentioned that there were other ways to get promoted." Kirito noted, and she raised three fingers.

"As a general rule, there are three." She answered, "First, as I mentioned, is contracts. The second is proving yourself in wartime defending the Underworld. That is, by far, the quickest path to securing a promotion, but the risk is equally overwhelming. And aside from the occasional border skirmish, there haven't been any large scale wars for a few centuries, so that method has fallen out of practice as well."

"The last?" Kirito asked, and she smiled back.

"You've already made some progress in that regard, Kirito." she said, reaching into the desk and pulling out a small golden box, "This is for you. My brother dropped it off while you were out delivering fliers."

He and Asuna walked over to the desk and he accepted the box. Inside was a letter and a gem encrusted golden medal.

"For your skill and bravery, you were named the MVP of our Rating Game against Riser." She smiled, "Congratulations."

"No way…" Kirito said, and Asuna threw her arms around him in joy.

"You deserved it, Kirito." Rias replied, "You're the reason that we won. We'd have never been able to defeat Riser if you hadn't lured Yubelluna away and given us a chance to regroup. And even before that you held off the bulk of Riser's forces. AND you were the one to eventually defeat Riser's queen. Representatives from both sides are in agreement that you were the MVP."

"Thank you, Rias." He said truthfully, and she smiled back.

"And this is a very good start for you. The most commonly used method of receiving promotions is though the Rating Games. Getting the MVP in your first game is going to cause a bit of a stir. You can bet that my brother and a few others will be keeping their eyes on you in the future."

"One step closer." Kirito said to himself, smiling at the medal.

"In the future, I plan to take part in many more Rating Games." Rias said, "In fact, my dream is to become the champion." Looking at him seriously, she asked, "Can I count on your help, Kirito?"

"Of course." He answered, "I am your knight after all. "

"Thank you." She smiled back, and at the same time, Akeno reentered the room with a tray of tea.

"Oh, you're back." Akeno said to the two of them, "Feel free to take a seat and I'll bring you some cups."

"Sure." Kirito said, sitting at the table and removing his laptop from his backpack. Asuna did the same with Yui's laptop, and their daughter appeared on the screen. "Hey Yui." He said booting up the software he'd be working with, "I'm just about to the point where I'll be able to test it out. How are things on your end?"

"Everything's ready here, daddy!" She answered enthusiastically.

"You're pretty good at this, Kirito." Akeno said, peeking over his shoulder after she'd handed the both of them their tea, "Didn't you say you'd just started this the other day?"

"Yui's been a big help. "He shrugged, "Besides, it's still a long way from being perfect."

"Everything will work out." Asuna said confidently, and Yui nodded in agreement.

"You're both right." Kirito agreed, "Now, let's see if we can start testing it tomorrow."

""Right!"" Both of them cheered.

Akeno walked across the room to Rias' side and smiled, "They're so cute, aren't they?"

"Yes they are." Rias smiled, wondering whether she and Issei would ever be like that.

* * *

"Man, are you sure about this?" Agil sighed into the phone after Kirito told him his plan, "Yeah, I know that we haven't been able to find anything wrong with it, but… You can't seriously be trusting Kayaba, can you?"

"No." Kirito responded truthfully, "But I've used it a bit with a personal server, and I can't find any problems. Asuna and I are in agreement that we don't want SAO and ALO to be how VRMMOs are remembered."

"...Alright. I'll take care of it." Agil said, pulling out his laptop to start an email, "A friend of mine is starting up a gaming company called Ymir. I think I can persuade him to let me host it as long as I give him first hand access. You don't mind?"

"That'd be great. Isn't Ymir-"

"Yeah, they were started by former ALO players who bought the game data after RECT went under. With any luck, this should be just what they'll need to bring the game back online." Agil nodded, "Not making any promises, but I'll let them know now."

"Thanks Agil. I'll pay you back one day." Kirito said with a relieved sigh.

"Don't even mention it." Agil answered, and with a smile, he moved on to happier subjects, "So, we're planning the SAO victory party. How's two weeks from today sound for you guys?"

There were a few seconds of silence while Kirito spoke with Asuna before he responded, "That sounds great for us."

"Cool. The party will be at five. See you guys then."

"Looking forward to it. I might see if my sister wants to come along." Kirito answered, and he hung up the phone. Immediately afterwards, he sent an email to everyone from SAO that he could get in contact with informing them that the party started at four.

* * *

The next month was among the best Kirito had ever had. Between school with new his friends at Kuoh, working with his new friends in the Occult Research Club, playing on the reopened ALO servers (and for the last two weeks, starting Aincrad from scratch with everyone's help), and being able to live with Asuna and Yui, every day was a real pleasure.

Thanks to training with Kiba, both his swordsmanship and control over his sacred gear were improving. On the weekends, he'd spar with Suguha, both IRL and in ALO, with the latter always drawing a crowd. Though he hadn't managed to beat her in the real world yet, the two of them were almost evenly matched. He could probably beat her if he used the 'knight's speed, but he didn't feel comfortable using that against her when she didn't have any kind of supernatural power.

In addition to his training with his fellow knight, he also had training with Akeno and Asia to use magic, but that hadn't progressed much further. Contrary to what Rias had said during training camp, his magic wasn't much easier to control now compared to before. He could summon it at will, but he wasn't able to change it the way that the girls could. At most, he could reliably make it explode, and anything else would require way more concentration than he'd expect to be able to do in the middle of a battle.

Finally, he and Asuna had been undergoing Rias' prep class from hell, and the results were really showing. Their grades had both shot up to nearly the level they were at before the SAO incident, and it wouldn't be long before they could really and truly say that they were back on track educationally.

One afternoon in the middle of March, Kirito and Asuna were headed back to the Old school building when Kiba met them halfway with the rest of the ORC.

"The student council's doing some maintenance in the clubhouse, so we'll be meeting at Issei's house tonight instead." Rias smiled at them once everyone had exchanged greetings, "Given the change of venue, we won't be doing any major contracts tonight, but we're still on call, so stay alert."

"Gotcha." Kirito said, following behind them on the way to Issei's house for the first time. Evidently, Rias and Asia had both been staying with Issei for quite some time, if their greeting of his parents and Rias having a key were any indications.

Once the pleasantries were out of the way, Kirito and the rest of the ORC walked up to the second floor and into Issei's room (Which, for some reason, was labeled Rias and Issei's room) to begin the meeting.

"So, I think it's fair to start with this months' contract numbers." Rias said, sipping the tea that Issei's mother had provided for them, "Akeno has eleven-"

"That's right." the queen giggled.

-Koneko has ten-" Rias continued, nodding to the rook beside her.

"sure." She replied.

"-Kiba had eight-"

"I did." The other knight smiled.

"Asia's done three-"

"Yeah!" Asia said happily.

"You're doing great for a beginner." Kiba praised her.

"You should be proud of yourself." Akeno smiled as well.

Rias nodded in agreement, "Kirito, you did two."

"Yup." He nodded. They weren't the most glamorous jobs, but he had helped a little boy beat a video game and he and Asuna had worked together to fix another man's computer so that he could finish his work before morning.

"And finally, Issei-" Rias said, taking a sip of tea, "-made zero."

"I suck so hard." Issei said dejectedly.

"You need to work harder if you want to make High Class." Rias reminded him, "If you're not careful, Kirito will beat you to it."

Issei glared daggers at him, "Just you wait, I'll make so many contracts your heads will spin!"

"Go ahead." Kirito replied with a confident smirk.

There was a knock at Issei's door, so they stopped talking about their 'club activities' while Rias greeted Issei's mother at the door.

"I was wondering whether you guys wanted to see some old photos!" She smiled, holding up a couple of old photo albums.

"That'd be lovely." Rias answered, and she handed them out. Kirito and Asuna accepted one. The first page was filled with what must've been Issei's first fishing trip. He couldn't have been more seven or eight, but he looked genuinely happy. Asuna couldn't help looking at Issei as though wondering how this cute little kid could turn into the Issei we know today.

"I can't believe this is happening…" Issei groaned, face red with embarrassment while the other girls were looking at what (apparently) consisted of all the times Issei was naked when he shouldn't have been.

"Hey, Issei…" Kiba said softly, but the pawn who was right next to him, heard him loud and clear, "Do you remember this picture?" He asked, turning the album towards him. Issei looked at the image of him and a neighbor of his frim his childhood laughing.

"Not really. Me and that kid used to hang out all the time, but he moved away not long after that picture was taken." Issei shrugged.

"What about this sword?" Kiba pressed on, pointing at a sword hanging from the wall.

"Not really. I think it was his dad's?" Issei answered, scratching the back of his head, "Why, what's up?"

"I wasn't expecting to see one like this." Kiba chuckled, "This is a Holy Sword."

Kirito looked away from the album he and Asuna were looking at as soon as he heard the name of Heathcliff's unique skill. When he did, he saw a flash of unimaginable anger on Kiba's face. But it only last for a second before he smiled and closed the book like nothing was wrong.

* * *

Azazel let out a long, drawn out sigh after reading the report that his Vice Governor General, Shemhazai had sent him. The disappearance of the Excalibur fragments that he'd figured was just infighting on the part of the churches was now looking like an extremely serious situation.

The report from his spies inside the church indicated that Heaven had confirmed the theft was perpetrated by one of his own, Kokabiel.

The man who'd given him this report smiled at his sigh, "You know, I warned you this could happen." The silver haired youth said with a soft chuckle, "Kokabiel wants to fight even more than I do."

"Fighting is one thing." Azazel replied bitterly, "I can handle your obsession with combat, Vali. There are members of all sides who like to throw down as often as possible. You wouldn't have to break the uneasy peace just to get in some fights. Kokabiel's intention isn't to fight. He wants a war the like of which this world hasn't seen in recorded history. No matter how many people have to die in the process."

"To a war maniac like Kokabiel, there's nothing more painful than an uneasy peace." Vali shrugged without a care, "To know that one action can get the war you desire, and yet the leaders of all sides refuse to act. Eventually, things have to change. He just decided to force the issue."

"And now I have act whether I like it or not." Azazel sighed, getting to his feet and spreading his twelve black wings, "Well, that's just fine. This might give me the opening I need to stabilize relations between the three powers."

Vali smiled, "So, was this all part of your plan?"

"Nothing of the sort." He chuckled in response, "I'm not some great chess master. I'm only an opportunist. Telling Shemhazai I'm going to Kuoh."

"Kuoh?" Vali frowned, "What for?"

"Stealing Excalibur only forces the Heavens and the fallen to fight." He reminded the White Dragon Emperor, "Sirzechs isn't the sort to enter a war merely because he could eliminate his rivals. Since he can't pass through the underworld area we control without being stopped, his only method of forcing the devils to war is by targeting the little sisters of Leviathan and Lucifer."

"Gremory, huh?" Vali grinned, encasing himself in pure white armor, "So then, will red and white finally meet?"

"Behave yourself, Vali." Azazel warned him, but he just leapt into the air and took flight.

* * *

The next night, Kazuto received a cellphone call from Rias about an hour after club meetings had ended. Sneaking out of bed so that he didn't wake Asuna, he created his swords on his back and took flight. Just like while he was out doing jobs, he was invisible to everyone who wasn't already aware of the existence of devils, so he took the opportunity to enjoy the feeling of the air against his real skin instead of his virtual avatar's. It never ceased to amaze him just how similar flying in ALO was compared to devil flight. Seriously, at least one of the developers had to be a devil. That was the only explanation.

The GPS on his phone lead him to Rias' location, which was an abandoned warehouse on the edge of town. Rias, Akeno, and Kiba were already waiting for him, as was Asia.

"Sorry to call you out so late." Rias apologized, "But new orders came down from the Archduke Agares."

"Archduke?" He asked, "Sounds like a big shot."

"The Archduke is one of the most respected devils in the underworld." Rias nodded, "Calling him a big shot doesn't do him justice. It's his job to track stray devils and pass on their location to others so that they can be eliminated."

"Strays?"

"They used to be devil servants." Kiba answered for him, but he still wasn't acting quite like himself., "But, for one reason or another, they betrayed their masters. Usually it's for power or just because they could, but they've killed their masters and must be destroyed."

"That bad, huh?" Kirito asked, and Akeno giggled.

"Compared to Riser, It's not all that dangerous. Its lust for power has caused it to become quite the ugly creature. But don't let your guard down. Regardless of what they look like, they've already killed one High Class devil at least."

"Well, I'll keep on my toes." He replied, wondering whether he'd be able to test the secret technique he was working on. "So, where's this stray devil then? In here?"

"Yes, but we need to wait for Issei and Koneko. Both of them were out making contracts when we got the request." Rias answered.

"Sorry to keep you waiting." Koneko said, walking through the open gate."

"You walked over here?" Kirito asked the rook, "You're not like Issei. Shouldn't you have been able to teleport via circle?"

"Could've, but I like to warm up a bit before a fight." She answered, looking around, "So we're just waiting on the pervert?"

"You think he actually managed to get a pact?" Kirito joked, and Koneko replied immediately.

"Seriously doubt it." She scoffed.

"Koneko!" Issei's voice said from further down the street. Kirito turned just in time to see his bike pull into view, and for some reason, he had a large painting strapped to his back. "Do you always have to be so mean!?" He complained.

"Do you always have to be a pervert?" she countered, and Issei could find no response. Instead, he pulled his bike up along the wall and removed the painting, leaving it beside the bike.

"Rias, contract complete!" He grinned, patting the painting, "And I've got the price to prove it!"

While everyone congratulated Issei on his first solo contract, Kirito couldn't help but notice that Kiba hadn't said anything.

"Now that we're all together, let's get this taken care of." Rias smiled, "Akeno, Asia, and I will remain outside. The rest of you, draw it out and we'll finish it."

"Yes ma'am!" They replied. Kiba and Kirito drew their swords, and Issei activated his boosted gear. Koneko cracked her knuckles and broke the door open with a punch.

The inside of the warehouse was dark, illuminated only by the light of the moon above them. The four of them silently spread out, looking for any sign of movement. After a few second, just as he was beginning to think that they were in the wrong place, a soft sobbing started echoing in the warehouse.

A girl looked out from behind some of the machinery, and Kirito relaxed his guard slightly. Issei grinned when he saw that she was naked, but before Kirito could look away, she started to change. Her skin darkened, a large horn ripped through the center of her forehead, and she leapt into the air. Her entire lower half was replaced with the body of a massive spider.

"Spread out!" Koneko shouted, watching the stray's movements closely. Kirito and Issei followed her orders immediately, but Kiba hadn't even seemed to notice the stray at all. "Kiba!" She shouted again, trying to get his attention. The stray took advantage of her lapse of concentration, and shot a large strand of web at her.

"Koneko!" Issei warned her, but Kirito had already leapt forward and blocked the web with his Dark Repulser. At the same time, his arm started to burn. Some kind of acid on the web started eating away at his sword, and the skin on his arm must've come into contact with some of it.

Kiba looked over at the commotion, and he sprang into action.

"Dragon shot!" Issei roared, firing his attack at the stray, but she wasn't bothered by it at all. She turned to Koneko, and shot more web at her, though Koneko managed to avoid it without anything more than a bit of clothing damage and a small burn on her shoulder.

"Kiba, get your head in the game!" Kirito called out to Kiba, blocking one of the punch that would've hit Issei. Kiba saw that Kirito had her attention, and with one strike, he cut off her arm. As he landed, however, his foot slipped on a piece of pipe and he fell to his knee with the stray just behind him.

"Kiba!" Koneko shouted, running to his aid, but she probably wasn't going to make it in time.

"Þeír, slíta, fimm, grœnn, vindr!" Kirito chanted, and six black blades of magic tore through the stray's body, spraying its blood on the wall.

Somehow, it was still alive when all of them went to check.

"Orders are orders." Koneko said, grabbing her by the hair and tossing her through the skylight. As soon as she did, a bolt of lightning struck her compliments of Akeno.

"Sorry…" Kiba said bitterly.

"Don't worry about it." Kirito replied.

"What's up?" Koneko asked, "You're not acting like yourself, Kiba."

"I'm fine." He answered, walking away, "I've just had an off day."

"Kiba!" Koneko said, following after him with Issei and Issei just a few steps behind her. As they left the building, they arrived just in time to see Rias disintegrating the charred remains of the stray.

"Good work, everyone." Rias smiled at them while Asia hurried over to heal Koneko's shoulder and Kirito arm.

While Asia healed them, Rias confronted Kiba over his lack of focus. He hadn't heard what was said, but they all heard the aftermath. Rias slapped hi macros the face hard enough to leave a palm print.

"Get a grip, Kiba!" She said angrily, "When you space out like that, you put yourself and the rest of us in danger!"

"I'm sorry, President." Kiba responded, starting to walk away, but Rias grabbed his shoulders.

"What's wrong with you?" She asked insistently, but he pulled away from her.

"Nothing." He answered, walking away from the warehouse.

Issei chased after him, though he returned alone a few seconds later. Judging from his face, whatever Kiba had said had shaken him more than a little bit.

* * *

With that, DxD canon marches on. I'm going to be creatign a poll for what path the GGO canon with take. The options are: Skip everything that doesn't change, skip the unimportant parts but write the rest, and write the entire arc. Pick whichever you want and i'll take it into account while writing. And, of course, Reviews are always welcome.


	8. Clash of Blades

GBK 8

So, as always, I'm back after over six months. First off, I'm really sorry that I haven't uploaded for a while. But on the up side, chapters 8-13 are already complete, so I'll be pestering my beta to keep making some progress on them. In the meantime, I forced him to get this one taken care of, so here you are.

Disclaimer: I don't own DxD or SAO. No money is made from this story, and no copyright infringement is intended.

* * *

To Kirito's dismay, Asuna was awake when he returned home.

"Hey…" He waved nervously, and she stopped tapping her foot to glare at him.

"Where were you?" She asked, and when she saw that his jacket was destroyed from the stray devil's acid web, she clenched her fist, "Doing something dangerous?"

"...Would you believe me if I said no?" He tried hopefully, but her look immediately caused him to confess. Despite her anger, she listened to his account of the event, and when he finished, she sighed.

"You're such an…" She shook her head, "Listen up, because I'm only saying this once. You are not going to be going off on your own doing god only knows what without telling me in the future, understand?"

He looked up in surprise, "You're taking this better than I was expecting." He said honestly, and she smiled bitterly.

"I might be angrier if I could've actually changed anything, but since I'm still human, I can't be too much help. Still, I at least want to know what's happening. You can't keep me in the dark like this."

"...Okay, I'll tell you everything in the future." He promised, and she nodded.

"Good, then come back to bed. We still have school in the morning."

"Sure." He said, following her back to their bedroom.

* * *

Elsewhere across town, ignoring the rain pouring down on him, Kiba continued walking while lost in his thoughts. Despite his words to Issei, his time with Rias and the others was still important to him, but he could never forgive himself if he allowed his feelings for his new comrades overcome his desire to avenge his fallen friends. That was his duty as the only survivor of the Holy Sword Project.

"Please, help!" Someone shouted from behind him, and he turned around just in time to see a priest fall to the ground from an almost certainly fatal slash across the back. Even as he died from the wound, he refused to allow the sword to leave his hand.

"Oh, a bonus round!" A sickeningly familiar voice laughed from the nearby alley.

"Freed." Kiba spit, creating a sword for himself as the stray exorcist came into view. However, as soon as he saw the sword in Freed's hand, he felt a chill run down his spine. This sword was nothing at all like the previous sword of light that Freed had used. Freed didn't attack him immediately, though. First, he pried the sword from the priest's hand and slipped it into a sheath he wore at his waist.

Then, Freed grinned at him, "See something you like, pretty boy?" He asked, waving the sword around wildly at superhuman speeds, "I can't say that I blame you. But devil scum like you are only fit to die to my Excalibur!"

"I was right!" Kiba shouted, springing forward and forcing Freed to block with the Excalibur in his hand. Kiba's sword, the holy eraser, attempted to seal the light away, but it made no difference. The blade shattered long before Excalibur ran out of power.

"Did you think that something like that could work against the great Freed Sellzen with an Excalibur?" Freed asked, licking the edge of the sword.

"I was just confirming your words." Kiba responded, creating another, much stronger blade in place of the holy Eraser, "For once, Freed, I can say thanks. Now I get to not only shut your dirty mouth for good, but I can destroy that sword as well!"

"Should you really be making that face?" Freed taunted as he parried Kiba's superhuman speed with his own, even managing a small cut on his arm, "We wouldn't want it to stick like that, do we?"

"Shut up!" Kiba roared, giving a full-strength slash that forced him back, but he wasn't injured at all. Instead of counterattacking though, a small magic circle appeared beside his head.

"Heya boss." Freed chuckled, but then he whined, "Do I have to?" Sighing, he glared at Kiba, "Your life got an extension, Devil Scum. My boss wants me back right away, so I can't' play with you anymore."

"Wait!" Kiba shouted when he turned and fled, but he dropped his sword from the pain of the cut he'd received from Excalibur. It was an intense pain, the likes of which he hadn't endured since the final day of the project, when he'd been forced to breath in so much poison, but thankfully it didn't last for too long. The cut wasn't serious, so after a few minutes, he was able to pick up his sword again.

"So that's Excalibur." He practically hissed, but the pain of the sword only made his resolve stronger. He would destroy that sword. For his friends who lost their lives in the pursuit of it, and for the comrades he refused to allow to follow in their footsteps.

* * *

Atop the hill overlooking the city, two cloaked figured pushed the door open. Silently, they surveyed the damage done to the building. Pews were upturned, the altar was broken, windows shattered, and scars in the floor showed that a battle had taken place here. However, more than that, nearly every religious symbol in the building was defaced.

"So, our information was accurate." One of them said, pulling down the hood on her cloak, "The Fallen angels did indeed lay claim to this place."

"How cruel…" Her comrade replied, lowering her own hood as well, "Xenovia, how could they do this and still claim to love God?"

"We shouldn't expect anything else from creatures who have fallen from grace." Xenovia responded, laying her sword against one of the upright pews, "Surely you know that much, Irina."

"Of course I know!" Irina replied, face red, "But God teaches us to forgive, so I want to believe the best in everyone!"

"You're so naive, Irina." Xenovia sighed, "I can't believe you spent on our money on that dubious painting…"

"How dare you!" Irina shouted back, "A painting of a saint is worth its weight in gold! After getting it for the bargain I did, I can't help feeling like I should repent for swindling that poor man!"

"Let's just drop it." She sighed, laying down on one of the pews, "Fighting now will only get in the way of the mission. You're sure you know your way around this town?"

"Of course!" Irina said brightly, here previous anger already forgotten as she took out a picture of her with a young male friend of hers, "I used to live around here, after all. Maybe we can pay him a visit tomorrow? His parents were truly good souls, so I'm sure they'd offer us a room to stay in."

"We can check once we've met with Lucifer's sister." She replied, "Ensuring that the devils stay out of our affairs is more pressing than our accommodations while we're here."

"I know that too." Irina said, laying down herself on one of the other pews, "I don't think we'll have too much of a problem. If she really was the one who drove off the fallen here, why would she side with them now? She'll agree, I'm sure."

"I honestly wonder if it will be that easy." Xenovia said, closing her eyes and drifting off into an uneasy sleep.

* * *

"So, you got chewed out, Kirito?" Akeno giggled after Asuna asked Rias to let her know the next time they did anything dangerous.

"I wouldn't say chewed out… "He answered, scratching the back of his head, "But maybe told off?"

"Regardless, I think it's a reasonable request. "Rias smiled at Asuna, "You have my word, Asuna. The next time we do anything dangerous, I'll be sure to let you know first."

"Thank you, Rias." Asuna bowed gratefully before looking around the room, "Where's Kiba? He wasn't hurt last night, was he?"

"No, he's perfectly fine." Rias sighed, leaning back in her chair, "But he hasn't been himself recently. I only just discovered last night that he got an unpleasant reminder earlier this week."

"What kind of unpleasant reminder?" Kirito asked, before remembering the look on Kiba's face when they were over at Issei's house, "Does it have something to do with a holy sword?"

Rias looked stunned by his comment, "I'm surprised you've heard of it, but yes, the holy sword is the most likely reason."

"What's a holy sword?" Asuna and Kirito asked at the same time.

"This is going to take a bit of explaining." Rias smiled, pouring a cup of tea for everyone.

* * *

"This is getting tiresome." Azazel sighed, staring down at the holy swordswomen from church entering their meeting with Lucifer's little sister, "I'd hoped to have this wrapped up before Michael sent his fighters, but too late for that."

"If you'd like, I could take them out." Vali offered casually.

"We're trying to show that we're not looking for war." Azazel reminded him, "Having you attack them won't help anything."

"They're here on a suicide mission." Vali reminded him, "I would think it'd be preferable for them to be injured by me before Kokabiel kills them. Besides, if it comes down to it, we both know I can defeat them before they can even perceive their under attack."

"If that's how it has to be, I'll deal with it." He replied, "In the meantime, keep searching for him. I want to know the instant you find him."

"Fine." Vali sighed, equipping his armor, "You know, Azazel, if you weren't so hands off, we might not be in this situation." Before he could respond, Vali had already taken off.

"Goodness, that boy is more trouble than he's worth." Azazel smiled, "But in this case, I can't really say he's wrong. I should've acted on this a long time ago."

Either way, crying about it wouldn't change anything. If Kokabiel was allowed to get his way, this world would end. And Azazel was willing to do whatever it takes to prevent that. Even if it cost him a friend.

* * *

Kirito watched cautiously as the two girls from the church entered the clubhouse, escorted by Akeno. As soon as he took a look at their swords, he felt a chill run down his spine. They were dangerous, alright. There was no doubt this was a holy sword. Inwardly, he was glad that Kiba had decided to skip school today. There's no telling how he'd react to something like this.

"I'm grateful you were willing to meet with us. "The blue haired girl carrying the larger sword said, taking a seat across from the rest of them, "My name is Xenovia."

"And I'm Irina Shidou, but you already knew that!" Her companion said happily, smiling at Issei in particular.

"Well, it's not every day that holy swordsmen come to see a devil, so I take it you've some kind of business in my territory." Rias smiled sipping her tea.

"As you're no doubt aware, there are seven holy swords of the name 'Excalibur'" Xenovia said, holding up her own, "Mine, for example, is Excalibur Destruction."

"And I have Excalibur Mimic!" Irina nodded, pointing to the string wrapped around her arm.

"Yes, I'm familiar with the stories." Rias nodded her head, "The greatest of them, Excalibur Ruler, was lost to the church as well, so there are only four other swords in your possession, correct?"

"Actually, there is only one." Xenovia answered, "Three of the swords were taken by Fallen Angels. Irina and I were sent to retrieve them, along with the wielder of the Excalibur Blessing."

"I see. And what does that have to with us?"

"All we need you to do is stay out of our affairs." She replied coldly, "If you do that, then we'll handle the rest."

"I would have done that anyway, so I can only assume that you believe we'd support the fallen angels if you didn't confront us directly." Rias said just as coldly.

"I wouldn't rule out anything if you believed you could eliminate a threat like the holy swords." Xenovia smiled, glaring right back into Rias' eyes.

"Well then, allow me to lay those fears to rest. I would never dream of assisting a fallen angel, and provided you cause no troubles for my household or the people living in this town, I'm perfectly fine turning a blind eye to your fight with them." Rias said with a smile, but her eyes were practically burning with anger, "So, is that all you have to discuss with me? Or perhaps you'd like some tea before you go?"

"No thank you, I'd rather not associate with devils any longer then I must." She said, standing up and hanging her sword on her back, "As a matter of fact, the only reason I came here today was that it was ordered to."

"Very well, though I'm sure you understand that I won't be helping you either." Rias said, clearing doing her best to reign in her emotions.

"That's fine. As long as you stay out, we'll be victorious." Before he left, however, her eyes locked on to Asuna, "You there, girl. Why would a human associate with devils?"

"Because someone I care about is a devil." Asuna responded without hesitation, "regardless of what he is, Kirito is still Kirito."

"Caring about a devil means you're beyond saving." Xenovia sighed, turning away.

"If you refuse to see the good in others, maybe you're the one that's beyond saving." Asuna replied calmly, "I'd rather associate with kind devils then malicious saints any day."

Xenovia's eyes narrowed, and her hand found the hilt of her sword, "What did you just say...?"

Before she could draw it, Kirito had his sword to her throat.

"I won't let you threaten Asuna." He warned, ignoring the outcry from his companions to stop.

"Cocky, aren't we?" Xenovia smiled, and the cloth fell away from her sword, "Is it a war you want? A war with the church?"

"Sounds fine with me." A voice said from the entrance to the clubhouse, and everyone looked towards it. Kiba stepped into the room, "I'll take all of you on myself."

"Kiba!" Rias scalded.

"And who might you be?" Xenovia asked, eyes darting between Kiba and Kirito.

"I'm your senior." He answered, "Nice to meet you."

"Kiba…" Rias sighed, but neither of her knights seemed likely to back down, "Let go outside first."

The entire group walked to the back of the old-school building, where they were safely hidden from the view of the rest of the clubs.

"Just an informal bout." Rias said, "No serious injuries on either side. Understood?"

"Naturally." Xenovia smiled, drawing her sword in earnest and swinging it a few times.

"Not to worry." Irina said, untying the string from her arm. It immediately transformed into what appeared to be an ordinary katana, "After all, this is against our orders too, so we wouldn't want to risk getting in trouble."

"I got it." Kirito nodded, but Kiba didn't respond.

"So, who is fighting who?" Xenovia asked once the rest were out of the way. She turned to Kirito, "It was you who started it, right? You're not having second thoughts, are you?"

"I could say the same thing to you." He said, standing opposite her.

"Then I guess that leaves us." Irina smiled at Kiba, and he laughed back.

"I wasn't expecting this at all." he said, and a dozen swords erupted out of the ground around him, "But for the very thing I've wanted to destroy for all these years to appear in front of me is truly a blessing. I guess god smiles down on devils every now and then."

"Isn't that sword birth?" Irina asked, and Kiba picked up a sword.

"So, that's what he meant." Xenovia said, paying more attention to Kiba then Kirito, "You're the boy who escaped the Holy Sword Project. I can't say I'm surprised you turned to be a devil like this."

"Save your pity." Kiba roared, leaping at Irina, who sidestepped the blow. After recovering from the shock of his sudden attack, she easily parried the follow-up and went on the attack herself.

Xenovia watched them with interest for a moment before she blocked Kirito's Rage Spike with the flat of her blade, "Do you make a habit of attacking someone when they're not looking?" she asked once Kirito had taken a step back.

"Not really, but if you see an opening, you take it." He shrugged, "So, you ready to actually fight now?"

"Fine, bring it." she answered, swinging her sword down and shattering the ground beneath them. Kirito jumped out of the way and charged at her from the side. Though taken aback by his speed, the size of the blade made it possible for her to block his attack with minimal movement. Immediately, she hooked the blade of his sword in her guard and twisted it, throwing his blade away and immediately following it up with an attack. Creating Elucidator again, he tried to block, but the sword split as soon as the two touched.

"The holy sword of destruction." Xenovia smiled, watching Kirito back away, "Flimsy swords like that can't stop it."

'No kidding.' he said to himself, grabbing the first Elucidator off the ground rather than waste time and energy creating another. Instead, he used 'Double Circular'. She blocked the first attack without a problem, but she didn't notice him create the sword until it was too late to block, and only just managed to dodge the second by the skin of her teeth.

"You've been holding out on me." She said, jumping back slightly to creating some separation, "Your sacred gear, what is it? It doesn't seem to be sword birth like your friend, and it's not Blade Blacksmith. So, what is it?"

"I haven't a clue." He answered, taking his stance anyway, "But you should know I'm not limited to swords."

"It doesn't matter either way." She replied, whether you have two swords or a hundred, I can destroy them all."

"Let's see it!" Kirito shouted, charging at her with Sonic leap. She parried the attack, and blocked when he followed it up with Slant. Before he could back away again, she swung her sword down on him.

Crossing his blades, he caught the massive blade. Contrary to her prediction, the swords strained under the powerful blow, but they wouldn't break. This seemed to catch even her by surprise, and she wasn't prepared for him to launch Vertical Arc immediately after breaking the guard. The first hit just nicked her arm, and the second would've sliced her leg pretty badly if she hadn't blocked at the last second.

"Well done." She said, looking at him with what might have been respect, "I concede this round. I can't beat you with this sword."

"You weren't bad yourself." He smiled, sheathing the Elucidator on his back again, "If your sword were a bit lighter, you probably would've been able to beat me."

"No." she shook her head, "You have me beat in speed. My only option is power, and you were my equal in that regard once you used that second sword. There was simply no other way the battle would've ended."

"Still, it was fun." He smiled, and both of them turned to watch the remaining fight.

After first glance, it appeared to be a fairly even match. Kiba's speed kept Irina on her toes, but she was continually able to block his attacks. However, looking at it more closely, the winner was obvious. Irina was too exhausted to be expected to keep up her guard for long. Kiba's attacks were too numerous and too fast. She didn't have any chance to actually counterattack. Xenovia sighed, shaking her head. At least she could see the writing on the wall. Rias, rather than looking glad that Kiba was doing well, seemed more concerned than anything else.

After a particular powerful blow, Irina's guard was blown wide open, and Kiba struck.

"I got you!" He roared, swinging down his sword with his full might. Kirito leapt forward and caught his blade in his cross block.

"That's enough, Kiba!" Kirito shouted once Kiba had taken a step back.

"Why are you getting in my way?" He growled angrily.

"That attack would've killed her and you know it." Kirito said while Asia was seeing to Irina's minor wounds.

"So?" He responded, "What do you care? This has nothing to do with you."

Kirito couldn't help but stare in amazement that Kiba actually seemed to mean that.

"Go cool off, Kiba." Rias ordered, stepping between them.

Kiba didn't respond, walking away without looking back.

Rias turned towards the two from the church, "My apologies for that." she smiled at them.

"It's alright." Irina smiled, transforming her sword back into a string and tying it around her arm again, "No harm done, and you did stop it before it went too far."

"You've my thanks." Xenovia said to Kirito, "Our comrade has been missing since he arrived in this town. If we'd lost Irina as well, I doubt I could succeed alone."

"The fallen angel is that strong?" Rias gasped, "I would've thought you could handle most threats yourself."

"The thief is Kokabiel." Xenovia replied, to everyone but Kirito and Asuna's astonishment.

"Just two of you?!" Rias shouted, "Two of you against a leader class? Are you out of your minds? This is a suicide mission!"

"Maybe so." She admitted, covering her sword again and putting her cloak back on, "But such is the importance of our mission. If we have even a one percent chance of success, it's worth our lives to try."

"Even one percent is overly optimistic." Rias sighed.

"Regardless, will you keep your word and stay out of our affairs?" Xenovia asked.

"I meant what I said." Rias replied, "However, just know that I will have to prepare to take action myself. A leader class being within my territory isn't something I can ignore."

"Provided you don't interfere with our actions, I don't care what you do." she answered, "Let's go, Irina. We've done what we had to."

"Sure!" Irina nodded, but before she left, she smiled at Kirito, "Thanks again! You really saved my neck."

"No problem." Kirito replied with a wave before watching them leave.

"Thank you, Kirito." Rias said once they were gone, "I don't think anyone else could've stopped him in time."

"No problem." he answered, "I knew Kiba was out of it, but…"

"I know." She sighed, "I think we'll end club activities for the day. I'm going to have to go have a talk with Kiba."

Kirito said nothing as she followed Kiba, but he knew the look on Kiba's face well enough to know to know that he wasn't going to listen to anything she had to say.

* * *

So, that's another chapter out of the way. I'm going to be closing the poll now since I'm starting to plan out the GGO chapters. So, with that in mind, I'll be writing the important parts and skipping the rest. As always, review to your heart's content.


	9. Confronting a Friend

GBK 9

Merry Christmas! Got a few chapters for you guys to open at your leisure. Enjoy yourselves, and if you're interested, there's a quick update in the author's note at the end you may be interested in, and it'll also be on my main profile page. So yeah, give it a read if you... Oh, who am I kidding, you guys don't read this opening author's notes. So go ahead and continue reading.

Disclaimer: I don't own Sword Art Online or Highschool DxD.

* * *

Late that night, Azazel pushed the door to the church open. The two girls were still asleep. Like Vali had said, it would be too easy to injure them severely enough to force them to withdraw. With their guard so lax, he could sever a tendon or break a limb and leave before either of them were even aware of his presence. Even still, that was a last resort, and things hadn't reached that point yet.

"You girls really should sleep on a proper bed." He said loudly, waking them both, "Otherwise, it'll really kill you a few years down the line."

"Fallen Angel!" The blue haired one, Xenovia, roared, swinging her Holy Sword of Destruction at him, but he blocked it with a wing.

"Honestly, you really shouldn't jump the gun like that." He said, raising an eyebrow at her, "If I wanted to kill you, you'd have never woken up. I'm sure you must've realized that I could kill you without waking you if I'd actually tried. Or are you really that eager to start a war?"

"Twelve wings…" Irina gasped, "You're Azazel?!"

"That would be me." He nodded with a small bow to her.

"Why are you here?" Xenovia ordered, backing away but not lowering her sword.

"To tell you girls to leave." He answered, "Go back to the Vatican, tell the pope I'll handle the Excalibur incident and return the swords. There's no reason for you girls to give up your lives on a mission you have no chance of accomplishing."

"For the glory of God, we have no problem with giving our lives!" She responded, and he shook his head.

"That's commendable. He's lucky to have such devoted and capable followers. However, there's a world of difference between giving your lives and wasting them. You have no hope of defeating Kokabiel. If you truly want to do what's best, leave. The only thing you're doing by continuing is hurting your cause. Kokabiel already has three swords, and he may already have another. Do you want to risk giving him two more?"

"We won't be misled!" Xenovia shouted, swinging her sword again, and he stopped it with a single finger.

"Then you're already dead." He warned, turning away from her and looking at her partner, "What about you? Your life is your own. Don't waste it needlessly fighting an enemy you can't possibly defeat. Return to the church. Tell your superiors that I give my full assurances that the swords will be returned shortly. That should be enough to quell any complaints they raise."

Unlike her partner, Irina smiled but still shook her head, "I'm not going to abandon my partner. Besides, as long as God is on our side, I'm not convinced we can't prevail against Kokabiel."

"You have your answer!" Xenovia growled, still trying to free her sword from his grasp.

"If that's your decision, so be it." He sighed, tossing Xenovia and her sword across the church. Before he turned to leave, Azazel tossed a cell phone to Irina, "If you find him, call me. The number's already programed in. Just in case you feel like saving yourself in the future." he whispered so that Xenovia wouldn't notice.

"Thank you for understanding." She bowed, slipping the phone into her pocket before Xenovia could notice it.

"Well, I've taken up enough of your time." He said, walking out the door, "I still think you girls should go home before it's too late, but if you won't listen, I won't waste my time. At least try to last long enough for me to do your jobs for you, alright? I've got my reputation to think of."

* * *

Kiba didn't come to school the next day, and it was clearly on Rias' mind. Even when she was overseeing the club activities, she wasn't herself. It wasn't just her either. Akeno seemed almost as concerned, and Kirito was willing to bet just about anything that Issei and Koneko's skipping the club meeting had something to do with Kiba as well.

Something had to be done. Kiba's mindset was all too familiar to him. He'd seen dozens of people just like him during SAO, working endlessly towards clearing the game without rest. He'd even been among them, after what happened with the moonlit black cats. If it wasn't for Sachi's message, he probably would've ended up like most of them. Just another crossed out name on the monument.

"Rias, mind if I go out and deliver fliers?" He asked after finishing a particularly annoying section of Yui's smartphone app.

She jumped slightly, before smiling apologetically, "Sorry, what was that?"

"Just wondering if I could go out and deliver fliers for a bit." He answered, stretching his legs, "I could use a bit of air."

"Sure, that'd be fine." She said, reaching into her desk and pulling out a handful of fliers, "I was going to send out my familiar later, but if you're offering, I won't say no."

"Thanks." He said, taking the fliers, slipping them into his bag and strapping his swords to his back.

"I'll come too." Asuna said, getting up from the other laptop where she was working with Yui.

"No need. I can-" He started to say, but she shook her head.

"I was planning to head out for a bit anyway." She replied, before adding into the microphone, "I hope that's alright with you, Yui."

"It's fine mommy." Yui smiled back at them.

"Let's go then." Asuna said like it was already decided, and Kirito just went with it.

As soon as they left the clubhouse, Asuna rounded on him.

"So, what are you planning?" She asked him.

"What are you talking about?" He asked convincingly, but she pointed at the swords strapped to his back.

"Something's been up with you all day, you randomly volunteer for flier duty, and for the first time, you bring your swords with you? I'm not an idiot, Kirito." She answered, "What are you planning?"

"...I'm going to try and talk some sense into Kiba." He sighed, "You saw him yesterday. He's not right. We've both seen exactly what happens to people like that."

Asuna nodded silently. She'd seen exactly the same thing as him, after all. She probably knew better since he wasn't particularly close to any of them.

"I can't let Kiba do this, and frankly, I might be the only one who can get through to him." He said, holding his sword's hilt, "If I have to use force, I want to be ready."

"I see." She nodded, taking the bag of fliers from him, "Then I'll do your work for you. It's probably the only thing I can do for now."

"Thank you, Asuna." He said, preparing to run off, but she grabbed his hand.

"Just come back safely, alright?" She whispered nervously, and he nodded.

"I'll be back before you know it." He promised, racing off as soon as she let him go.

The first place he went was to Kiba's apartment, but there was no answer at the door. Since he couldn't hear anything from inside, he was forced to conclude that he probably wasn't inside.

It wasn't for another half an hour, after searching at least a dozen different places around town (including getting uncomfortably close to the church), that he found him.

"Kiba." He said, stepping out from behind the trees in the park, where Kiba was angrily slashing at the trees.

"What are you doing here?" Kiba asked without slowing down. The sword in his hand was already dulled to the point of near uselessness, and judging from the appearance of the tree, it had been in that state for some time. Despite the rapid attacks, there wasn't much more then damage to the bark, and there were no clean cuts.

"We need to talk." He answered, "Mind sparing the tree for a bit?"

"There's nothing to talk about." Kiba responded, dropping his sword after a moment. The sword shattered as soon as it touched the ground, "I told Rias the same thing. This is my fight. You don't need to get involved. "

"I can respect that more than most." Kirito admitted, "But you're wrong, Kiba. You're our friend, that's reason enough for us to want to help."

"I don't need your help." Kiba said, finally turning to face him, and Kirito responded by drawing his swords.

"Then prove it." he sighed since it was obvious Kiba wouldn't listen to reason.

"Stay out of this, Kirito." Kiba repeated, creating a sword of his own.

"I can't do that." Kirito answered, and Kiba charged. Blocking his first strike, Kirito took a step back, then charged with a rage spike. Kiba sidestepped at the last second, and tried to counter before the skill lag ended, but he missed.

Seeing that, Kirito immediately followed up with Sonic Leap, and Kiba tried to sidestep it again, only to trip over his own feet and fall to the ground. Before he could get up, Kirito had him pinned to the ground.

"You see?" Kirito asked him, "What exactly do you think you can do when you're too exhausted to even fight properly?"

"I'll destroy Excalibur!" Kiba growled, creating a sword in his teeth and slashing at Kirito. Dodging by a hair, he broke the sword with a well-placed punch, connecting with Kiba's face as well.

"The only thing you'll destroy is yourself!" Kirito countered, "Look at you! We both know that I shouldn't be able to beat you! In any other case, I'd be the one on the ground! I get that you're pissed, but it's not helping! You're weaker now then you've ever been!"

"Shut up!" Kiba roared, standing up again and running at him, but Kirito easily dodged the slash and kneed him in the gut.

"Kiba, I'm going to stop you from getting yourself killed." He warned his friend who was doubled over in pain on the ground, "If you won't listen to reason, I'll drag you back to Rias and we'll tie you down until you do!"

"What would you know about it, huh?!" Kiba spit back, "You have no idea what it's like! You don't know what it feels like to watch your friends dying right in front of you and being powerless to stop it!"

For just a moment, Kirito snapped, and punched him full force in the face, knocking him into one of the nearby trees. While Kiba was still dazed, Kirito took a calming breath and sighed.

"You're wrong about that, Kiba." He said, "I know exactly how you feel. When I was in Sword Art Online, I was part of a guild called the Moonlit Black Cat. They were good people, training because they wanted to help clear the game even though they weren't the best players. I was miles ahead of them, but I still joined up with them to try and help them out a bit. But I was too stubborn to tell them my real level. I didn't want them to hate me for being so much stronger."

"One day, while we were exploring, we came across a treasure chest inside a hidden room. I couldn't stop them from setting off the trap in time. I tried my best, but there were just too many monsters, and I saw each and every one of them die fighting a hopeless battle that I should've been able to stop. In the end, I was only survivor."

Kiba had listened silently with a shocked expression on his face, and Kirito continued to the part he needed to hear.

"Afterwards, I got carried away with fulfilling their desire. I wanted to clear the game at any cost. I started fighting recklessly, leveling without any regard to my own safety. In the span of just a few months, I grew thirty levels and became the single strongest member of the assault team. On Christmas, after I nearly died fighting solo against a boss, I received a message from one of my fallen friends. She's probably the only reason I'm still alive right now. She managed to get through to me when nothing else would. Thanks to her, I managed to get back on track and put that incident behind me."

Kiba didn't respond to the end of his story, so Kirito knelt down beside him, "I'm not telling you to give up on your quest to avenge your friends. If it's something you feel you need to do, I won't stand in your way. But don't be reckless and don't go at it alone. We're here to help you, if you'd just let us."

"Kirito…" Kiba finally said after a few moments, and for the first time, he looked more like his old self.

"Don't live for revenge. Live for the friends you've made, both then and now." Kirito said, extending his hand to him, "If you do that, Excalibur won't have a chance."

"Thank you." Kiba said, accepting his hand and getting back to his feet, "I guess you're right."

"So how long have you been out here anyway?" Kirito asked, looking at the destruction of the surrounding trees.

"Since yesterday." Kiba answered truthfully, "I just got angry and before I knew it…"

"Go get some sleep." Kirito chuckled, "And make sure you go to school tomorrow. Otherwise, Rias will get mad."

"Yeah." Kiba nodded, opening his mouth to say something else, but then his phone started to ring. Shrugging, he answered it, "Hello? Issei? Yeah, I guess. I'm at the park. Meet you by the fountain? Alright then."

"Issei?" Kirito guessed, and Kiba nodded, "Any idea what he wants?"

"None, but I guess I'll go find out." Kiba replied, slipping the phone back into his pocket and turning to walk away.

"I'll come too." Kirito said, following just a few steps behind him.

Issei arrived at the park about ten minutes after he and Kiba did, and he wasn't alone. Koneko and Saji from the student council were with him, along with the two holy sword users.

"Issei." Kiba said, watching the two like a hawk, and Kirito sighed. It's almost like he'd already forgotten what they'd talked about.

"Listen, Kiba, we want to help you." Issei said, pointing to himself and Koneko, "We talked with the people from the church, and they're willing to accept our help and let you destroy one of the Excalibur shards that Kokabiel stole!"

"I'm somewhat disappointed." Kiba replied, "I didn't think that a wielder would approve of Excalibur's destruction."

"It wasn't my first choice." Xenovia admitted, "But we will use any method to achieve our mission, to retrieve or destroy Excalibur. I'm willing to allow you to destroy it if it will give us even a one percent increase in the success of that mission."

"Kiba, I think we should do it." Kirito said, patting his fellow knight on the back, "This is exactly what I was telling you about. Give us a chance to help, alright?"

"...Fine." Kiba said after a moment.

"Yay!" Irina cheered, and Issei breathed a sigh of relief.

Kiba looked at her and sighed, "About yesterday. I'm-" He started, but she shook her head.

"Don't worry about it too much." She smiled at him, extending a hand, "We're on the same side now, right?"

"For now." Kiba responded, shaking her hand.

"What'd you say to him?" Issei whispered to Kirito while Kiba and Xenovia were glaring at each other.

Kirito grinned, "Just a talk between men."

"That's it?" Issei asked in surprise, and he shrugged.

"There may have also been a fight." he admitted, "But nothing too serious."

"Did it work?" Issei asked worriedly, and he shrugged again.

"Hard to tell. So far, he's been within ten feet of two Excaliburs and not exploded, so maybe?"

Issei gave a soft chuckle, "I guess so."

"In the interest of sharing information, there's something you may be interested in." Xenovia said to Kiba in particular, "Following the Holy Sword Project, the man in charge, Galilei Valper was excommunicated by the church. Since then, he's joined with fallen angels, and given his knowledge of Excalibur, the odds of him being involved in this incident are very high."

Kiba clenched his fist tighter than ever, enough to actually cut him hand, "So, he's here then? Perfect. He's mine."

Xenovia actually managed a smile, "Whether scum like him lives or dies is of no concern to me. He's all yours."

Kirito couldn't help but feel uneasy about Kiba seeming so calm at the prospect of murdering someone, but given his past, it wasn't exactly hard to see why.

"Issei, we should probably get back to the club before Rias notices something's up." He pointed out to the pawn, "Since I'm assuming that she didn't sign off on this little plan of yours?"

Issei winced, "No, not really…"

Turning to Kiba, he added, "We can't do much right now. Go home and get some rest. We'll meet up later tonight, if that's alright with everyone else."

"Fine with us." Xenovia responded, and both Issei and Koneko nodded as well.

"Well, I'll be busy, and you guys should have more than enough manpower, so-" Saji started until Koneko grabbed him by the shirt.

"Come on, man!" Issei pleaded, and eventually he relented.

"We'll meet at the old church then." Xenovia said, pulling up her hood. "Irina and I still need to search for our comrade."

"Don't waste your time." Kiba said simply, "He's dead. I happened to be there a few days ago, the one who killed him was a stray priest named Freed Sellzen."

"The fucking priest is back?!" Issei shouted angrily.

"Hardly a surprise, in all honesty. "Xenovia said after a moment, "But a sore blow nonetheless. And the sword he was carrying?"

"Freed took it. "Kiba answered, and she nodded.

"I see…"

On that depressing note, the duo from the church split off to prepare for the search, and Kirito left Kiba to Issei so he could regroup with Asuna. On the way, back to the school, she listened to his update.

"I let you out of my sight and you get yourself into even more trouble…" She sighed, "Well, at least Kiba's not going off on his own. Besides, I guess it's overall safer for you to go with him in case he loses it again."

"Yeah." Kirito nodded, "So I probably won't be back until late. Sorry."

"Not a problem." she smiled, "But we'd better get back before Rias thinks something's up. We already been gone for a little too long."

Kirito grinned, "Well then…." he said, parking the bike in a nearby lot, "Grab on."

Asuna looked at him questioningly, but held on to him tightly, and he immediately took off at full speed, flying through the air while Asuna screamed.

* * *

Kokabiel smiled coldly as he ran his fingers across the four swords in front of him, "Rapidly, Nightmare, Transparency, and Blessing."

"I would have liked to reforge the sword in full, but four pieces should more than suffice." Galilei Valper said from across the room, "I should be able to start the ceremony in about an hour."

"No, let's wait awhile." Kokabiel responded, "After all, Michael's sent his fighters out. And both of them have a shard of the sword."

"Six of them…" Valper whispered in awe, "It would be nearly perfect... But I'll need to make alterations to the ceremony to adjust for the increased power. Please excuse me while I prepare."

"Naturally." He replied casually while the former archbishop left the room. Once he was sure that Valper wouldn't be eavesdropping, he smirked and turned around. Concealed in the shadows, nearly invisible in the darkness, was a girl with long black hair staring at the wall. "So, you don't have any problems with this plan, Ophis?"

"...No." the Infinite Dragon God answered without even looking towards him. Raising her hand, a small black snake materialized above her head, "As long as I can acquire the silence, I don't mind what you do."

"Once I've taken Heaven, it's all yours." He said, accepting the snake, "And thanks to this, it won't be long…"

* * *

Despite his insistence that it was necessary, Asuna insisted on waiting for him to come back, so at eleven, he waved good bye and walked out the front door. The street was nearly deserted, so Kirito didn't hold back his speed and raced across town to the abandoned church they'd decided on for the meeting. Kiba and the girls from the church were already there, and Xenovia and Kiba were still glaring at each other, but they didn't start fighting when there was no one to stop them. So, at least Kiba must've taken some of what he'd said to heart.

Saji, Issei, and Koneko arrived not long after he took a seat beside Kiba, which was nice considering that the tense silence was starting to wear on him.

"Any ideas where we should start looking?" He asked, but all of them shook their heads.

"We've been searching all afternoon, but we can't seem to find a trace of them." Irina sighed, "It's like they've disappeared."

"They've gotta be here, right?" Kirito asked, and Kiba nodded slowly.

"I tried to chase after Freed the other day, but he just disappeared." he answered, "Which means that they must have fortified a location nearby with barriers to prevent discovery."

"That's true, but it doesn't help much." Xenovia sighed, "If you really did follow him, then they could very well have moved their headquarters to prevent discovery if you informed your master. The odds of them even being in the same area is slim."

"But it's worth a try." Irina smiled, "Listen, we'll search that area and see if we can find anything. You guys look around the other side of town. We don't know the town that well, so you might find something we missed."

"Sounds good to me." Kirito said, and the rest of the devils nodded in agreement.

"Great!" Irina smiled, pulling out a cell phone, "Give me your contact information just in case you we find anything."

"Issei Hyoudou." Xenovia said while Koneko exchanged information with Irina, "I thought it would be a good idea to tell you that the White Dragon has awakened."

Issei stiffened at the statement, "Is that right? Well damn. I was hoping I'd be one of the lucky ones."

"What's up? Kirito asked in confusion, but Issei waved it off.

"Nothing we need to worry about right now. Let's get moving. We've got a lot of ground to cover."

"Anyone have any ideas where to start?" Issei asked, and Kiba nodded.

"There is one place…"

* * *

Got the next chapter beta'd and the next four written, so this next bit is slightly less important in the context of this story, but still, better add it here so you know what's going on after those chapters are out of the way.

Now, onto a general writing status/update you should know going forward. I recently got a new job, and as such, my time spent writing has been reduced quite a bit. Between work and sleep, most of my writing is done on my day off with my beta, and while he does work on this story (I tend to prioritize stories he works on when I'm with him), it's also only one of many, so I can't guarantee I'll be working on it constantly. I understand that it's something you all want to see continued, and I vow to continue it, but while I'm adjusting to the new job and hours and such, I ask for your patience if the pace of the chapters slows back down. Thank you for understanding, and as always, I look forward to reading your reviews.


	10. The Six Excaliburs

GBK 10

I didn't want to put off the next chapter for long, so since this was already beta'd, I figured I'd update a bit quicker than I have in the past. Hopefully I'll be able to upload more this year. Anyway go on and read.

Disclaimer: I still don't own DxD or SAO.

* * *

"I know this place." Issei said when Kiba stopped in front of a large, rundown house, "Isn't this the place we fought that stray devil, Viser?"

"You guys have fought stray devils?" Saji asked, and all of the Gremorys nodded.

"This one must've been before my time though." Kirito responded, "But the last one wa-" He stopped talking as soon as he felt a chill run down his spine, and on instinct drew both his sword and spun around. It was just luck that he managed to deflect a slash aimed at his chest.

"Aw…" The white-haired man in priest's clothing whined, taking a step back and licking the blade of his sword, "And here I was hoping to make it quick… I guess God doesn't like it when I try and show filthy devils mercy!"

"Freed!" Issei cursed, bringing out his boosted gear. At the same time, Kiba had already created a sword for himself, clashing sword with Freed in a shower of sparks.

"You okay?" Koneko asked, running over to Kirito and taking out her cell phone.

"Yeah, I'm alright." He answered, "let's get in there."

"Oh?" Freed grinned, reaching his other hand into his coat, "So you all want to play?! Don't worry, I've got toys for everyone!"

A flash of silver caught Kirito's eye, "Kiba get out of there!" He shouted, sprinting forward. The second sword swung at Kiba, but thanks to Kirito's warning, he had a split second to avoid the second blade.

"You lowly devils might have the speed to keep up with Rapidly here, but let's see just how good you really are." Freed grinned before he completely vanished.

"Everyone, be careful!" Kirito shouted, looking around the area as quickly as he could.

"It's got to be Excalibur Transparency!" Kiba added, "Stay on your toes!"

"Kiba, cover me!" Kirito said, kneeling to the ground. Kiba nodded, searching desperately for any sign of Freed. A few feet away, he could here Kirito chanting something softly, but he couldn't quite make out the words. When he stopped, there was a flash of light, and he chanced a look over his shoulder. Three pitch black imps were dancing around in Kirito's palm.

"Find him." Kirito ordered, and the imps flew through the air. Kirito drew back his sword and the blade started to glow. As soon as they stopped about two feet away from Issei and Saji, he charged with the full force of his knight enhanced speed and the Sword Skill Rage Spike. Even Kiba couldn't keep track of him.

"Fuck!" Freed hissed, jumping back as he became visible again. His arm was covered in blood from a very deep cut across his forearm, and the sword dropped to the ground, "What the fuck is wrong with you?!"

"Sorry about that." Kirito responded, kicking the sword away and standing between him and the stunned pawns, "But I couldn't see where I was stabbing. Believe me, I was trying to make it quick."

"Are you mocking me, shit for brains?!" Freed growled, taking up Rapidly again, "Because the great Freed Sellzen can still destroy you!"

"There is nothing 'Great' about you!" Kiba roared, cutting him off before he could get away, "Now take up your sword, because I'm going to destroy the both of you!"

"How embarrassing, Freed." Someone said from the entrance to the house, "To be defeated by such inferior creatures… You should have no problem defeating twenty devils of their level."

"Shut it, old man Valper." Freed hissed in pain, his eyes still darting from Kiba to Kirito, "You might not have noticed I've only got one arm left, asshole!"

Valper shook his head and stepped out of the house, "Have you already forgotten what I told you about that new sword? Even in a situation like this, repairing such a minor wound is child's play."

"Oh yeah!" Freed grinned, taking out another sword from his coat. Unlike Rapidly, it didn't appear to be at all more than an ordinary sword, but the holy aura that was pulsing from it was even stronger than the other fragments. A faint golden light surrounded the hilt, running up Freed's arm and running across his chest. The wound in his arm started to close quickly, and almost before they could even react, it had already shrunk to barely more than a scratch. Passing Blessing to the newly restored arm, his cocky smirked returned, "So sorry, but now I'm going to kill you all!"

"Go ahead and try!" Kiba retorted, dashing forward to attack him, only to have his sword stopped by rapidly before he could get more than a few inches.

"Get away from him!" Kirito said, rushing to his aid. Freed casually dodged his attack and stopped a few feet from Valper, picking up the fallen Excalibur Transparency as he went.

"Now, hurry up, Freed." Valper ordered, "They've no doubt called for backup already, so please eliminate them before the others arrived. Even for you, fighting the four of them would be too much with your current armaments."

"You got it, gramps!" Freed replied, turning invisible again. Kirito went to summon his searchers again, but this time there was a deep cut to his side. Pain the likes of which he'd never felt coursed through his body, and he let out a scream of agony as he fell to the ground.

"Kirito!" Kiba shouted, rushing to his aid, but Freed had already disappeared again. The remaining four cautiously gathered around Kirito, who was still cursing at the pain ripping through his body. It felt like every cell in his body was burning up. He couldn't even think of anything else...

"Irina and Xenovia should be here any moment." Koneko said, her eyes darting around the area to try and find any trace of the stray priest,

"Hey, Kirito-" Saji said without turning around, "That thing you did earlier? Can you do it again?"

Kirito shook his head, "I can't use my Sacred Gear like this…"

"Koneko, I know you don't want to, but-" Kiba started to say before he was forced to parry a slash that came out of nowhere.

"This bullshit can't be fair!" Saji said as soon as Freed vanished again, "Can someone please tell me how the hell we're supposed to beat this guy?!"

"You're not!" Freed replied, appearing a few feet in front of Saji. Everyone moved to attack him, but before they could, three more of him appeared around them, "What's wrong?" All four Freeds asked at the same time, in the same mocking tone, "Having a nightmare?"

"Four of you sounds like a nightmare to me." Kiba answered, charging ahead at godspeed. His sword passed harmlessly through two of them before the third was forced to block.

"Did you really think I'd make it that easy?" Freed asked, putting a bit of distance between himself and Kiba. All around him, no less than a dozen clones appeared, and before long the real freed was lost in their midst.

"Kiba, just like the rating game." Issei said, putting a hand on the back of his friend. Instantly, the red gauntlet cried out, 'Transfer!'

The red aura around Kiba was immediately focused into his sword, which he stabbed into the ground. The ground started to shake, and countless blades emerged from the ground beneath the group, skewering each of the illusionary priests. Each one disappeared as soon as it was hit, and within a second, none remained.

"Where is he?" Kirito asked, trying to spot him without any luck.

"Right here." A voice whispered in his ear, and he felt the blade to his back.

"Kirito!" Kiba shouted, spotting Freed reappearing just behind him, but none of them were going to make it in time.

Freed laughed maniacally, swinging his sword for the lethal blow, but before it could land he was forced to retreat.

"Everyone okay?" Irina asked, standing between Kirito and Freed with Xenovia right beside her.

"You saved me." Kirito said gratefully, and Irina gave a smile.

"Now we're even, okay?" She giggled, her eyes never drifting from Freed.

"Freed Sellzen, I presume?" Xenovia said angrily, stepping forward and drawing her sword, and she looked to the doorway where Valper was standing there emotionless, "And Valper Galilei. For your crimes against the Church and God, both of you will meet your end tonight! I will end you myself!"

"You really did screw up, Freed." Valper said, still smiling despite the change in circumstance, "Thankfully, we still hold the advantage."

"How do you figure that?" Kirito said, getting back to his feet and picking up his swords again, "You're outnumbered, and we've got a handle on your abilities this time. You won't be able to use Transparency anymore."

"Certainly, that is unfortunate." Valper smiled, "But you're a little too late, I'm afraid."

Irina let out a scream of pain as a flash of light ripped through her stomach, sending blood flying in all directions.

"Is this really the best Michael could send?" A deeper, much more sinister voice said from above them, and everyone looked up, "Don't get me wrong. I'm sure your skills are passable, but you two are no threat to me even if you had a lifetime of training."

"Kokabiel!" Xenovia growled, jumping into the air and swinging the massive blade of Excalibur Destruction down on him, but he grabbed it with one hand.

"I didn't think it'd be that easy." He said, twisted the blade until Xenovia was forced to let go. "Freed, the other one."

"Gotcha boss!" Freed said, sprinting forward and praying the Excalibur Mimic from Irina's hand, despite her weak attempts to keep it from him.

"Kokabiel!" Xenovia growled, holding out her hand, but Kokabiel didn't even seem to notice her existence anymore.

"And the guests of honor have finally arrived." He smiled, "Welcome, little sisters of the devil kings."

The group turned around and saw Rias and Sona, along with Tsubaki and Akeno appearing from a magic circle. "The pleasure is all ours, Leader of the Fallen Angels Kokabiel." Rias smiled, walking to the front of the group, "I must say, I would appreciate it if you and the church could settle your little squabble outside of my town."

"I'm terribly sorry." Kokabiel said in an obviously fake voice, before grinning and returning to normal, "But this wouldn't be worth anything if I did that. Michael's already written these two off as dead, and I doubt that he'll send anyone else. If this was the only fighting, it'd hardly be a war, now would it?"

"Is that what you're after?!" Sona asked, voice shaking, "You actually want a war!?"

"Of course, I do!" Kokabiel responded like it should've been the most obvious thing in the world, "I can't accept this so called 'peace'! That fool Azazel pulled back even knowing that we were winning! Another push and victory would've been ours!"

"You're a warmongering beast." Rias said harshly, and Kokabiel even smiled at her words.

"Well, maybe I am." he admitted, gathering an enormous amount of power into a spear of light above his head, "But tell me, little sister of Lucifer. Would brother dearest come to the rescue if poor little Rias was taken by a beast? Would Serafall join the fray if dear Sona were left rotting on the ground? I'm simply dying to find out!"

"We need to leave. Now." Rias said, picking up the critically wounded Irina, "Will you come or not, Holy Swordswoman?"

Xenovia grit her teeth, but staring up at the massive spear of light, she relented and joined the group atop the Gremory Magic Circle.

"Running away?" Kokabiel asked, but he hardly seemed surprised, "Well, that's fine. If you don't care about this town, feel free to run home to your brother. But if you still want to save these people, you'd better come to the school. A night class, if you will. I'm sure you'll all love it _to death_!"

Lobbing the spear at them, Rias quickly teleported all of them away. From their new location, he could see a tower of light in the sky, nearly as large as a skyscraper. Looking around, Kirito saw that it was his and Asuna's place.

"This was the closest place I could think of to get us away." Rias sighed, leaning over Irina to try and stop the bleeding from her stomach.

"Kirito?" Asuna asked from the back room, poking her head out, and she gasped at the sight of all of them, particularly Kirito who was still covered in blood.

"Hey." He waved with a smile, but clearly it didn't help any. She rushed over to him, wrapping her arms around him.

"I'll take over." Sona said, taking Rias' spot healing Irina, "You'd better call your household."

"I understand." Rias nodded, creating another magic circle and disappearing.

"What happened?" Asuna asked, wiping the tears away, "Why are you covered in blood? And what about her?"

"We found them without too much trouble." Kirito responded, "First place we looked, actually, and there was a fight, but as soon as Xenovia and Irina showed up, that Kokabiel guy took her out. And they made off with their swords too. We barely got out of there with our lives."

"The more pressing concern is Kokabiel's last threat." Akeno responded, her hand glowing green while she treated the wound on his side, "If we don't deal with him, this entire town will be a casualty."

"I find it hard to believe it'll stop there." Sona responded candidly, "If he put his mind to it, he could annihilate most of this country without even utilizing his full power."

"That's awful…" Asuna whispered, "But how can we...?"

"We can't." Sona answered grimly, "Even if we fight him as a group, we'd all die without anything to show for it."

"How are you feeling?" Akeno asked once the wound was mostly closed.

"I'm fine." He answered, concentrating on creating a healing crystal, "I'll take care of the rest."

"Thank you." She smiled, getting back to her feet, "Then I have a call to make."

Over the next half an hour, Rias and Asia, along with the members of the student council teleported into for an emergency meeting. With Asia's help, Irina's condition stabilized, and everyone suited to battle gathered in their living room.

"Now, we need to come up with a plan of attack." Rias said, first and foremost, "We need to defeat Kokabiel before he makes good on his threat to destroy our town."

"You realize that there's no chance of victory, correct?" Sona said, "Unless you're willing to call your brother for help, that is."

"Well, your sister would be just as capable of helping." Rias retorted.

"I'm not sure that 'helping' is what she'd do." Sona answered, "Sirzechs is reasonable, at least. Just call him."

"That won't be necessary." Akeno chimed in, "I've taken the liberty of informing Sirzechs of the situation. His forces are gathering as we speak, and they'll be mobilizing in less than an hour."

"And why did you do this without informing me?" Rias asked her angrily, but Akeno stared right back without fear.

"I understand that you don't want to bother Sirzechs unless it's absolutely necessary, but in this case, it is. If we go in there alone, we will all die. There's no hope of victory. If that happened, there WILL be war. At least like this, we have a chance of maintaining the peace."

Rias looked at her for a few seconds before sighing, "Well, I can't really argue with that. Alright then. At least that solves the issue of our game plan."

"The forces of the student council will maintain a barrier around the school. We can't keep him in if he tries to escape, but at least the effects of the battle won't cascade to engulf the entire town." Sona said, and Rias nodded in approval.

"Meanwhile, the members of the Occult Research Club will go in and hold him off until they arrive." She said simply, turning to Xenovia, "And you? You're not exactly in a position to fight now that you lost your sword, so it'll be fine for you to remain here and guard your comrade."

"No." Xenovia answered, "I'm not as helpless as that, and I will fulfill my mission to the end. I'd like to join with your forces for the time."

"Alright." Rias nodded, "Then, we'd better get started. We can't expect Kokabiel to stay quiet for long."

"Rias, I want to go too." Asuna said immediately, drawing the attention of all of them.

"No." Kirito said immediately, not recoiling even from the resulting glare, "Absolutely not."

"I have to agree." Rias replied, "I know that you won't like it, but right now, it's simply too dangerous. This isn't a battle with a stray devil. We can't guarantee your safety if you come."

"That's fine." Asuna replied confidently, "Give me a sword and I'll take care of myself."

"Miss Yuuki, I'm sorry in advance." Tsubaki said, stepping between Rias and Asuna. Raising her hand, a magic circle appeared in front of Asuna's face, and she collapsed to the ground.

"Not the most elegant solution, but we don't have the time to discuss this, and we can't allow her to come with us." Sona said, picking Asuna up and setting her on the couch beside Irina, "It might be harsh, but this is our only option." Turning to Kirito, she asked, "I assume that you're alright with this?"

"...Yeah." he nodded, "I'll talk to her later. For now, we have a fight to win."

"Good attitude." Rias smiled, "Now, let's go kick butt."

"Yes ma'am!"

* * *

The door to Sugou's cell opened late at night, and his head perked up. The guard's expression was entirely blank, like he was being controlled.

"Let's go…" He said, turning away from him and leaving the cell wide open, "You're being summoned."

"About time." Sugou smirked, getting out of bed and following a few steps behind him. The rest of the prisoners were either sleeping or had open cell doors, which meant that they were busting him out under the cover of a mass break out. The guard led him into the basement, but rather than a magic circle, he found a large group of prisoners all looking around in confusion.

"It's almost time to begin." The guard said from the center of the room, "The last two left standing will be freed. Now begin." Just like that, he pulled the gun from his holster and shot himself in the head.

Sugou and the rest of the prisoners stood in shock for a few moments before someone picked up the gun.

"I'm getting out of here!" He shouted, opening fire in the crowded room, and one of the bullets lodged itself in Sugou's chest.

* * *

...Ouch. As they say, karma's a bitch. Still, there's more important things going on. Like the epic battle with Kokabiel next chapter. I didn't want to break it apart, so it'll be over 7k words, and things might not end as you'd expect. In the meantime, as always, review to your precious little heart's content.


	11. Academy Assault

GBK 11

Gonna have a longer than usual A/N at the bottom, but I won't talk much here. Yes, I'm back, yes it's here, and yes, I'm going to stop talking after the disclaimer.

Disclaimer: I don't know DxD or SAO, and I am making no money from this story.

* * *

As soon as they arrived at the front of the school, all of them could feel the overwhelming presence of the fallen angel and the chill of the Holy Sword.

The student council took flight, and with Sona and Tsubaki leading them, formed a barrier in the air around the school.

"This is the best we can do." Sona said calmly, "Unfortunately, all we can do is leave the fighting to you."

"That's perfectly fine." Rias replied confidently, "That's what we agreed to. You handle the maintenance and I deal with the strays and other threats. This might be a bit more dangerous than most, but we'll handle it."

"Thank you, Rias." Sona smiled, "Then I'll leave it to you."

"And we'll leave concealing the battle to you." Rias nodded, turning back to the rest of them, "Now, my dear servants, it's time for the single greatest battle of all our lives. But I'm not giving any of you permission to die. We are all going to make it back and come back to school again. Understood?"

"Understood!" They answered, following her into the barrier.

Once on the other side of the barrier, the anxiety in the air became even more real. Every one of them was on edge. Both Kirito and Kiba had their swords out immediately though Xenovia refused his offer to create one for her.

"Issei." Rias said once they were all prepared for battle, "You're the lynchpin of our plan. While we hold them off, you need to focus on charging up as much power as you can. Then, transfer it to the rest of us. It's the only chance we have of dealing any kind of meaningful damage."

"Got it." Issei nodded.

"Before we go, here-" Kirito said, passing out a handful of healing crystals, "They're not the best, but at least these should be enough to heal minor wounds without going back to Asia."

"These'll be a great help." Rias smiled, accepting them, "But there's only one for each of us, so please use them wisely."

"Yes ma'am." they said, each placing a crystal into their pockets and Rias led them around the school to the main courtyard.

"Finally." Kokabiel said from the sky, "Honestly, I nearly destroyed this town out of boredom. Please tell me you at least called in your dear brother. Otherwise, I'm liable to just get this over with now."

"I don't need my brother to fight my battles for me." Rias answered, "Now prepare to face defeat."

"Oh, I'm shaking in my boots." Kokabiel grinned, blasting one of the buildings into dust with a spear of light, "Why, I'm so scared, I think I need my puppy to comfort me."

The ground beneath him tore open, and three dogs the size of large trucks poked their heads up, but as they emerged, it became clear that it wasn't three separate dogs, but rather one with three heads.

"You're summoning Cerberus to this world?!" Rias sighed, "That's forbidden for a reason. Let's send it back where it belongs."

Kirito ran forward, swords drawn while Akeno and Rias took to the sky behind him. Cerberus' three heads each looked to one of them before breathing three separate torrents of fire. Rias and Akeno erected magical barriers to deflect the attacks while Kirito was forced to jump to the side to avoid it. As planned, Asia and Issei are standing back with Koneko as a guard them. Kiba had broken off from the others and charged towards the light in the back of the schoolyard.

"What're you going to do?" Issei asked, placing himself between Asia and the three headed dog spewing fire ahead of them. "I thought that you could take care of yourself."

Xenovia looked at him and smiled slightly, "You've got a lot of guts, considering that we're still enemies. Regardless, i was curious how well the devil king's sister could fight. But it's time I took this seriously. " Holding out her right hand, a pale blue circle appeared in the air beside her, "Saint Peter. Saint Basil the Great. Saint Denis. Holy-mother Mary. Please hear my voice." The space in front of her hand became distorted, and from it, the hilt of a sword appeared wrapped in chains, "In the names of the saints whom reside within this blade, I will release it. Durandal!"

The chains shattered as she spoke, and with ease, she pulled the sword free. In one hand, she held out a massive broadsword that gave off enough holy energy to put the shards of Excalibur to shame. Above, Kokabiel clicked his tongue in annoyance.

"Durandal… I hadn't expected trash like you to possess it."

Xenovia's response was to smile and swing the blade. A shockwave of holy aura sliced the cerberus in two, and the pieces burst into flames and disappeared.

"This blade can cut anything in this world." She smiled, "I hope you're not so foolish as to think that a mere dog of the underworld could stop it."

Kokabiel scowled, but only for a moment. Then, he grinned, "Well, this should be amusing. Let's pit Holy Sword against holy sword and see which comes out on top."

"It that my cue, boss?" Freed grinned, jumping into view with a bizarre sword in his hand. It was larger than even Durandal, but in three separate places, the blade branched off into small spikes, and the hilt was protected by a bladed handguard.

Valper walked out from behind the fence Freed had appeared from, wiping the sweat off his forehead as he went, but he was looking at the sword with awe and satisfaction, "After all these years, to think that I would be the one to recreate Excalibur…"

"That thing is Excalibur!?" Kiba growled, gripping his sword tightly while sending a loathing glare at both the Archbishop and the blade in Freed's hand.

"Naturally." Valper admitted with a wide smile, "My entire life has led up to this moment! The creation of the greatest Holy Sword! Do you have any idea how much I've sacrificed to achieve this goal!?"

"I'm well aware!" Kiba roared, charging straight towards him, but Freed snapped his sword with a swing of the massive blade once it was an inch from his neck, "I was there!" He shouted, creating two more swords to try and end the Archbishop, but he was once again stopped by Freed.

Valper actually seemed somewhat surprised, but not particularly bothered, "Sword Birth is it?" He asked, looking at the swords Kiba created in his hand, "I knew a child once who possessed that sacred gear. To think you've fallen so far, Isaiah. I suppose it was only natural that you would be unable to wield the blade if your faith was so fragi-"

"Shut up!" Kiba hissed, trying to force past Freed, but his blade shattered on contact with the holy sword, leaving him no defense from the horizontal slash Freed delivered across his chest.

"Honestly, I don't see what the big deal is." Valper said with a taunting smile as Kiba fell forward, blood dripping from his wound despite him trying desperately to find the strength to fight. "I discovered the secret to wielding Holy Swords for them. It was I who finally made it possible for the Holy Swords to return to the battlefield! After so long, Devils were finally made to fear the church again because of me! And what thanks do I get for my trouble? Excommunicated for simply disposing of the unnecessary traces of a top-secret project."

"Unnecessary...?" Kiba growled, anger feeding renewed strength into his limbs so he could stand, sword in hand. "You say that my friends are unnecessary?!"

Sighing, Valper stuck a hand in his pocket and took out a small light blue crystal, "If they mean so much to you, take them." He smirked, tossing the crystal into the air, "I took the required amount of light energy from those brats and created quite a few of these, though sadly the rest have already been used up."

Kiba snatched the crystal in his hand and started to cry, "Just for something like this, my friends were murdered? For some stupid crystal?"

"Boy, this is the real world." Valper responded, turning away from him and walking back towards the gym, "Did you actually think that your life or theirs ever had any value to begin with? You were only ever research materials. At least they served their purpose, unlike you. Still, I would be rather sad if you were forced to live with this guilt, so I'll do you a favor. Freed, end his suffering."

"You got it boss!" Freed grinned, swinging the sword at Kiba who was still crying on the ground. The blade was knocked aside not just by one sword, but three.

"Heal." Kiba heard Kirito say beside him as a gentle green light covered him. The wound on his chest closed slowly, but it was enough for him to regain his strength.

"Thank you…" Kiba said, clutching the crystal created from his comrades lives' in his hand.

Kirito smiled, standing in front of him beside Xenovia, "Your fight is with us too. Don't forget that."

"Am I supposed to be scared?" Freed asked in a mocking baby voice, "Do you think that your little toys or that oversized butter knife are worth shit when compared to my Excalibur!?"

* * *

While the swordsmen clashed, Rias was busy glaring daggers at the retreating form of Valper, "I won't allow anyone to toy with my servants like that." She said, creating a ball of her power of destruction, "Die, Valper!" She said, throwing it towards him. His head snapped around in horror, but the attack never hit. A streak of light collided with the ball, causing an explosion about twenty feet from him.

"I don't actually care if he lives, but I just can't stand being ignored." Kokabiel said, floating down from his throne and standing in front of Rias and her group. "Well, I hadn't expected for three of them to fight instead of one, but no matter. Come, Rias Gremory. Let's see just how much you take after your brother."

She took a step back, "Issei?" she asked calmly without taking her eyes off of the fallen angel leader.

"I'm only at five times." He answered, staring at his gauntlet.

Rias grimaced, "It'll have to d-"

"Thunder!" Akeno shouted, dropping a bolt of thunder down on Kokabiel, but he didn't even seem to notice for a few seconds and dispersed it with a wave.

"You know, I've seen something very similar from someone else, girl." He smirked, taking flight to meet her in the air, "Looking at you up close, you do so resemble hi-"

"Shut up!" Akeno roared, blasting him again and dealing just as much damage as the first time.

"Akeno, stop!" Rias ordered, but Koneko grabbed her arm and shook her head.

"Leave him to me and Akeno." She said, stepping in front of Rias and Issei, "We'll hold him off. You guys focus on powering up."

"Koneko…" Rias said softly, but she didn't argue when Koneko jumped into the air to assist Akeno.

"They'll be okay." Issei said, patting her on the shoulder, "Just need to buy us a bit more time, right?"

Rias nodded, but took his boosted gear into her hand, "Issei, can you be ready to boost me at a moment's notice?" She asked, "If one of them is in danger, then…"

"Understood." He nodded with a smile, but his expression turned serious, "If that doesn't work, I might have to do it…"

* * *

Asuna's eyes slowly opened, and she looked up at the ceiling, but it took her a few seconds to remember what had happened. "Kirito!" She shouted, jumping to her feet and running for the door, but she ran straight into a barrier about a foot from it. After a few seconds of pounding on it pointlessly, she finally gave up and collapsed to the ground.

"I feel so useless…" She said tearfully, and just behind her, she heard someone groaning in pain. The girl from the church who had been patched up was trying to get out of bed despite not being even close to fully healed. The bandaged wound on her side was already starting to bleed, but she was still trying to get to her feet.

"You can't get up right now!" Asuna said, trying to stop her, but she kept trying.

"I have to help." She answered, "My friends need me. Issei and Xenovia… I can't let them die like this."

"I know…" she admitted softly, "But neither of us can do anything."

Irina shook her head to clear the tears, but suddenly her eyes grew wide and her hand shot into her pants pocket. A sigh of relief passed over her face when she pulled out a cell phone.

"What's wrong?" Asuna asked, and she didn't answer. Instead, she opened it and immediately dialed the first number on the speed dial.

"Good evening." A male voice said from the other end, "Church girl, so good of you to call. How's things going? Retrieve the swords yet?"

"Azazel, please, you're the only one who can help." Irina pleaded, and after a few seconds, the other voice sighed.

"Tell me the situation." He said in a much more serious voice.

"Kokabiel's fighting with Xenovia and the Gremory group. "Irina said quickly, "But they…"

"Where?" Azazel asked quickly, and Irina looked at Asuna with a silent plea.

"Kuoh Academy." Asuna answered for her, "he said that he'd destroy the town if Rias and the others didn't fight him tonight. They can't have been gone long, so the battle might still be going on."

"Got it." Azazel responded, "Happy to be of service. I'll be heading out now. Just sit back and relax for a bit. I'll be in touch."

Just like that, he ended the call, and Irina closed the cell phone.

"Who was that?" Asuna asked, sitting directly next to her.

"Azazel, the governor general of the fallen angels." Irina answered, laying back down, "He approached Xenovia and I a few days ago, but we were too stupid to let him handle it. I just hope it's not too late."

* * *

Kiba's hands had already left his swords, grasping the small light blue crystal Valper had thrown away. This crystal was all that remained of his comrades. And even with their murderer just a few feet away, he couldn't even do anything to avenge them…

Every few seconds, he heard the sound of swords clashing just above his head. The black shadow of Kirito hadn't left his side since the battle had begun, and it was pretty clear that he'd be dead if Kirito wasn't warding off Freed's strikes.

'It's always like this.' he thinks bitterly as he clasped the crystal in his hand, 'No matter how much I try, I'm always saved by others. My friends, Rias, and even Kirito…'

"What's wrong with that?" A soft voice said from just behind him, and he looked back. Dozens of small blue lights were starting to group up into vaguely human shapes. Slowly, the shapes became more distinct, until he could make out the faces. Faces he knew. Faces he saw every night when he slept. And the tears that had been threatening to escape couldn't be held back anymore.

"What the fuck is this?" Freed asked, his blade locked with Xenovia about a foot away.

"Oh?" Kokabiel smirked in between casually fending off attacks from Akeno and Koneko, "Now this is interesting. Valper, any groundbreaking theories about what we're seeing here?"

The old man's eyes were wide in shock, and he shook his head, "It shouldn't be possible… Somehow the souls of those children have broken free of the crystallized light? The chances of that happening are… No, it's simply not possible. There must be some other explanation."

"Everyone…" Kiba said softly, and each of his dead friends gave him the same sad smile.

"It's alright." A girl at the front said, kneeling beside him and placing her own ghostly hand on his, "Helping each other is what friends are for, right?"

"She's right." One of the older boys said, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder, "That's why we did what we did. We're still your friends, no matter what."

"And we always will be." Another said, and the entire group started to dissolve into lights.

"Even if God's no longer with us, we'll always be with you. "They all said at the same time before fading away. The lights didn't diminish, though. Instead, all of them gathered around him. He felt stronger than he ever had before, and for the first time since the battle began, he was ready to fight.

"My friends… it was never vengeance that they wanted." He said calmly, concentrating all of his power into the hands, "They just wanted for me to survive, even if it meant that they couldn't. They gave everything they had for me. Now it's my turn."

Freed recoiled at the sharp gaze from the knight's eyes, and both Kirito and Xenovia gave vicious smiles.

"About damn time." Kirito sighed, swords finally ready to go on the offensive instead of just protecting Kiba.

"Yeah, I'm back." Kiba nodded, creating a new sword, "This time, it won't be for me. This time, I'll create a sword for myself and all of my friends! Sword Birth, give me your strength!"

* * *

"The Knight has peaked." Ddraig said to Issei within his mind.

"Peaked?" Issei asked, causing Rias to look at him funny.

"The boy's desires have forced the Sacred Gear over the edge. His wish overcomes the bonds of the world at large, giving rise to unimaginable power. This technique is called the Balance Breaker." Ddraig explained, "This is the true power of the sacred gear."

"Issei, what is it?" Rias asked him without looking away from Kiba.

"Ddraig said that Kiba's 'peaked'." Issei replied, "This is his true power. The Balance Breaker."

* * *

The newly created sword felt overwhelming in his hand. He could already tell it was stronger than the Excalibur Freed was wielding.

"This is the sword of betrayer!" Kiba shouted, pointing the blade at Valper, "A blade blessed by my friend's faith and my own nature. It's a Holy Devil Sword!"

"That's not possible!" Valper scoffed, "The two elements cannot be merged. That's a simple fact of the world. If you're going to lie, try and make it believable. Freed, kill him."

"You got it"! Freed giggled, charging at Kiba. Turning his gaze back to the priest, Kiba dodged the holy sword and swung his Holy Devil sword down. The spikes jutting out of the side of Excalibur were sliced clean off with a single swing, and it even cut off one of Freed's fingers at the same time.

"You fucking kidding me?!" Freed growled, putting some distance between them while he used Excalibur Blessing to stop the bleeding, "What kind of bullshit is this? How the fuck can he cut my sword like that!?"

"Could it be true...?" Valper said, staring at the sword with renewed interest, "Of course it couldn't. As long as the balance is being maintained, such a thing could never occur…"

While Kiba stared down at the minuscule fragments of Excalibur on the ground, he tightened his grip on the sword. 'I can do it.' he thought to himself, 'I can destroy that sword!'

"Tell me, Knight of Rias Gremory." Xenovia said, taking her stance beside him with Durandal held in front of her, "Are we still considered 'allies'?"

"I'd like to think we are." He admitted, and Xenovia smiled.

"Then let's break that sword together."

"You sure that's okay?" He asked after a moment of shock, "Wasn't your goal to retrieve them if at all possible?"

"MY job is to retrieve the holy swords." she replied, staring at the blade in Freed's hand with disgust, "But there is nothing holy about that monstrosity. I will make due with retrieving the cores."

"Then let's do this." He smiled, looking back at Kirito who was watching them with interest, "Look out for Rias, alright?" He asked, and Kirito nodded.

"Sure. Take him down for me." Kirito waved, going to regroup with Rias.

"I'll keep him busy." Xenovia said, taking a step forward, "When you see an opening, break it."

"...Thank you," He said when she offered him the chance to fulfill his revenge himself.

"I'll kill you both!" Freed shouted, "I'll chop you into a dozen pieces and feed them to that bitch you call a master! Doesn't that sound fun!?"

"You wish." Xenovia said, blocking his wild swings with one of her own and pushing him back in the process. The two holy swords clashed multiple times in uncountable showers of sparks, but no matter which ability Freed used, he couldn't get close to her. The ground around her was littered with broken pieces of the sword, though none of its abilities were at all affected by the loss.

Finally, after nearly a minute of watching the battle intently, Kiba saw his moment. Freed gave a wild swing with the power of Excalibur Destruction, and Xenovia knocked it upwards.

Immediately, he took off running, and Xenovia must have known exactly what he had planned. Flattening her sword, she launched him into the air.

"Freed!" Kiba shouted, putting every ounce of strength into the attack, "This ends now!"

"Good try!" Freed chuckled, raising his sword to block, but Kiba's Holy Devil Sword cut straight through it, delivering a deep cut on his chest in the process.

With the priest down for the count and the sword broken in his hand, Kiba wiped the tears out of his eyes.

"Everyone, we did it. "He said softly, "We defeated Excalibur."

But that was only part of it. Without Freed, there was nothing to stop him from his final objective.

Valper was muttering to himself, almost oblivious to the fact that his only guard was defeated, but as soon as Kiba approached him he let out a laugh.

"I see! Now it all makes sense!" Valper shouted, "The decline in Holy Sword wielders, the breakdown of the crystal, and the existence of a Holy Devil Sword… The only possible explanation is that we were wrong. It wasn't just the Devil Kings, but Go-"

Before he could finish, a spear of light tore through his chest, and whatever he was going to say was replaced by him vomiting blood,

"Sorry Valper." Kokabiel said while still grinning like a maniac, "But you're a bit too smart for your own good. It makes no real difference to me what you do, but that's something I probably shouldn't have let you find out."

The former Archbishop's body dissolved away, and the entire group turned their attention to the final threat.

Kokabiel's smiled widened as he landed on the ground again, "So, now that the distractions are out of the way, it's time to bring this tiresome business it an end." Looking at Rias, who was still grasping Issei's boosted gear, he added, "Tell me, Red Dragon Emperor. How much longer until you're fully charged?"

"...about a minute." Issei answered, staring at the sacred gear on his hand. The sweat on his brow, though, told a different story. Everyone in the Occult Research Club could tell that he was already over the limit. There was only so much he could take at this point.

"A minute huh?" Kokabiel sighed, "Well, I suppose I can take my time with killing your friends. Let see, six of them… So, I'll kill one every ten seconds. Sound fun to you, Rias?"

"You bastard!" Rias growled in frustration.

"Such strong words." he replied, looking at the rest who had surrounded, "So, do any of you want to play the part of the hero?"

"I'll be your opponent." Kirito replied, stepping forward despite Rias' pleas.

Kokabiel actually looked surprised, "I hadn't expected anyone to actually take me up on the offer." He admitted, "Boy, what's your name?"

"Kazuto Kirigaya." Kirito answered, taking his stance.

"Kazuto Kirigaya…" Kokabiel repeated, creating a sword of light in his hand, "You have my respect, Kazuto. So just this once, I won't hold back. Show me your warrior's spirit."

Without responding, Kirito charged at full speed, a dual sonic leap with both swords, using the full speed of the 'knight' piece.

[Boost!] Issei's sacred gear called out behind them, and at the same time, the two swordsmen clashed.

Kirito's blades shattered as the sword of light pierced his chest.

"One down." Kokabiel said, letting him fall to the ground.

"Kirito!" The entire group shouted, rushing forward to help him, but Kokabiel didn't even bat an eye at their attack.

"Now!" Rias roared furiously.

"Transfer!"

Rias' aura exploded, sending Akeno flying out of the air. The ground around her was already starting to dissolve away just from being in contact with her, and Kokabiel turned his attention back to her.

"So, you did it early?" He smirked, "No matter, this is good. Your aura's strong, just as strong as his was back in the day. So, avenge your fallen servant, if you can!"

"I will not let this stand!" Rias growled, forming a massive ball of energy above her head, "You bastard. You've hurt my family for the last time! This ends now!"

Kokabiel's laughter increased even further as the ball grew, and when it was finally released, he flew right into it. The explosive force knocked them all back, and it actually seemed like it was doing damage, but with a triumphant cry, he blasted it at point blank range with a spear of light, dissipating it completely.

"Anything else?" He asked, dusting himself off, and though Rias tried to create another, her aura had fallen back to normal. It was over.

"President." Issei said, standing between her and Kokabiel, "I've got a plan."

"Issei?" She asked, and he gave a small smile.

"Don't worry." he said, staring down at the gauntlet on his hand, "Ddraig, you hear me?"

"You know full well that I can hear you." The red dragon replied for all of them to hear.

"Ddraig, it's been too long." Kokabiel said as though greeting an old friend.

"It has, Kokabiel." Ddraig responded, "The years have not been kind, I see."

"Ddraig, that thing you mentioned, can you do it?" Issei asked quickly.

"I meant what I said." the dragon replied, "You're sure about this? Once paid, a price cannot be restored."

"Whatever. Just do it." Issei said, and the jewel on his sacred gear started to glow an intense green.

"Welsh Dragon Over Booster!" The sacred gear shouted, and it started spreading across his body, encasing him with red armor.

"Balance Breaker Boosted Gear Scale Mail!" Issei said once the armor was complete, "I'm taking you out, Kokabiel!"

"So, this is the Boosted Gear Scale Mail." Kokabiel nodded, looking him over, "It is quite similar, though you'll never be able to land a blow on me in that incomplete form, even if you do have the power to actually do something now."

"He will if we keep you busy!" Kiba shouted, charging in with a holy devil sword in both hands.

"Red Dragon Emperor, boost your power and wait until you see an opening!" Xenovia added, joining Kiba in a furious melee with the Fallen Angel leader. But even with both of them, there was never any meaningful opening.

"Ddraig, how long can you hold this up?" Issei asked in frustration.

"Just maintaining the armor is child's play." Ddraig answered, "But you overtaxed yourself earlier. With your current stamina, your body will only last for three attacks at full power. After that, there's nothing left I can do to give you a chance."

"Three times, huh?" Issei sighed, "Fine. Then let's go."

[Boost!] the Boosted Gear called repeatedly, and Issei's aura exploded.

"Promotion to queen!" He shouted, forming a mass of energy in front of his hand, "Kiba, Xenovia, get out of there!" He called out to his allies before the sacred gear called out, "Explosion!"

"Dragon Shot!"

A colossal beam of energy tore through the air a split second after Kiba and Xenovia got out of the blast zone, hitting Kokabiel square in the chest. Unlike with Rias' attack, he was thrown backwards coughing up blood, but righted himself almost immediately.

"Excellent!" He beamed, taking flight and creating a massive spear of light, "This is a fight! Com-" For a second time, he vomited blood, this time from a sword sticking through his chest.

"You should've been more careful." A weak voice said from just behind him, and a second sword pierced his chest and arm, "Don't turn your back on an enemy who can still fight."

"Kirito!" Rias sighed in relief, but he shouted over her.

"Issei! He can't move for three seconds! Take him out!" Kirito yelled.

"What have you done?!" Kokabiel hissed as he tried to move his body but nothing was listening to him, "Boy, what have you done?!"

"Dual Blade sword skill, Impalement Prison." Kirito responded, "It's not a particularly useful debuff for a solo player, but when I've got backup, it's a different story. Three seconds isn't long, but right about now, it's more than enough, isn't it?"

"Kirito, get out of there!" Issei shouted, jumping off the ground fully boosted by his sacred gear.

"I can't, just do it!" Kirito responded, and Issei nodded.

"Drop dead, you fallen angel bastard!" Issei roared, blasting Kokabiel's head with a brutal punch that sent both of them crashing to the ground. "Ddraig, again!" Issei shouted, boosting his power as soon as he saw that Kokabiel was still dazed and Kirito was thrown out of the line of fire. The intense light of the sacred gear grew until it was literally blinding, and Issei drove his fist into Kokabiel's stomach, causing the fallen angel to scream in absolute agony, coughing up blood the whole time. The force of the punch almost seemed to cause an earthquake, shattering the windows of the school building behind them, and a crater formed around them.

The entire Occult Research club gathered around it with the exception of Asia, who had already run to treat Kirito's grave injuries. The dust finally cleared, and Issei staggered forward. The armor was starting to come apart, and he almost seemed like he was too weak to even move, but he was grinning and waving towards him.

"We did it guys." He said slowly before collapsing forward.

"Issei!" Rias shouted, running to grab him, but she was forced to dodge a spear of light halfway there.

"Oh, you've done it alright." Kokabiel said, getting back to his feet despite the front of his body being almost entirely covered with blood, "Congratulations. Now I just don't care anymore. Every one of you is dead." He said, forming another spear of light and tossing it towards Asia and Kirito, "Starting with you."

"No!" Rias yelled, trying to erect a barrier to stop it, but the spear ripped through it without even slowing. All of them were forced to watch helplessly as the spear flew towards Asia, who could only look on with horror.

In an explosion of light, all of them cried out, dreading what they'd see when the dust cleared.

Instead, there was nothing there.

"I'm glad I made it in time." a voice said from just beside Rias, who looked down and saw both Asia and Kirito on the ground beside her. Standing just in front of her was a man wearing a simple light blue kimono with a sword strapped to his waist, and though he was facing away from her, she knew exactly who it was.

Collapsing to the ground, she started to cry, "Souji, thank god…"

"It seems useless to offer your thanks to the dead." Kokabiel scoffed, looking at the new arrival with loathing, "And who might you be?"

"Souji Okita." He answered, taking a single step forward and vanishing completely before reappearing back where he was standing with Issei safely behind him as well, "Knight of the Devil King Sirzechs Lucifer."

"You've done extremely well, Rias." Another new voice said from just behind her, and she didn't even need to turn around, "Leave the rest to us."

"Brother…"

Kokabiel's expression at the latest arrival could only be described as true joy, "Sirzechs!"

* * *

Azazel flew through the skies of Kuoh towards the school, accompanied by the white dragon emperor.

"You really don't need to come along, Vali." He said for the umpteenth time.

"You mean that you don't trust me to not start a fight with that one?" Vali said, casually stating Azazel very fears, "You don't have to worry. This is hardly a stage fitting for a battle between dragons."

"Gee, isn't that comforting." Azazel sighed before he felt something in his pocket vibrate. "Oh, for the love of Gabriel's heavenly tits…" He groaned, stopping mid-flight to withdraw his artificial Sacred Gear, "Now is really not the time for this shit…"

"What's wrong?" Vali asked, stopping as well, and Azazel just shook his head.

"Something I need to take care of." He answered, "Go to the school and bring back Kokabiel whatever the cost."

Vali's curiosity was clearly piqued, but he still nodded and took off flying toward the school. With the white one gone, Azazel landing on a nearby rooftop and approached the girl staring out over the city with a bored expression on her face.

"So, this is the body you've chosen for the current age, Ophis?" He asked, sitting just beside her.

"Azazel." She said casually, "And Fafnir too. It's been quite a while."

"It has." Azazel nodded, "I'm guessing that you being here isn't a coincidence. So, either you've gone out of your way to come see little old me or you were the one spurring Kokabiel on all this time. I'm inclined to say the latter. But what I want to know is what exactly is it that you're after? You're more than capable of starting a war yourself is that was what you were after."

"I'm after what I've always been after." She answered, "All I want is to return to my home to swim in peace. Nothing else matters to me."

"And what about what would happen to this world as a result of that desire?" Azazel asked, and she merely repeated herself.

"Nothing else matters to me."

* * *

Kiba couldn't help by sigh in relief at the arrival of some much-needed backup. As always, his sword master was too fast to be seen, and thanks to that speed, all of them were no longer in danger. Additionally, Grayfia and MacGregor Mathers were seeing to Issei and Kirito's injuries, helped by Asia. There wasn't any sign of the others, but for even three of them to be able to come on such short notice was nothing short of a miracle.

Sirzechs took a step forward to address Kokabiel, "I will give you a single chance to leave now." He said calmly despite a look of absolute outrage on his face, "I have no interest in starting a war. We still have a chance to settle this incident diplomatically."

"Don't give me that bullshit, Sirzechs!" Kokabiel laughed loudly, "You want to kill me as much as I want to kill you, so let's dispense with the formalities and get things started!"

Sirzechs sighed softly, but immediately the presence changed entirely. His eyes glowed blood red, and even from a distance, Kiba could feel his skin starting to sting. Most likely every one of them realized that if they were anywhere near this battle, none of them would last for longer than a second.

"My lord." Grayfia said, leaving the healing to Mathers and Asia, "If you were to do battle at your full strength without a reinforced barrier, this town will not survive. I will fight until Mathers can erect one."

The aura he was giving off calmed as Sirzechs took a step back, then turned in Kiba's direction, "Yuuto, over here." He ordered.

"Yes sir." Kiba said, dashing over to him and the rest of the club, along with Xenovia. With a wave of his hand, a barrier was erected between the group and Kokabiel and Grayfia.

"I'm sorr-" Rias started to say, but Sirzechs raised a hand to stop her.

"Allow me to say this to all of you now." Sirzechs said without even acknowledging the catastrophic battle going on just outside, "Thank you. This battle was many times greater than anything you should have had to deal with, and you've all done admirably. As both the devil king and Rias' brother, I won't forget the loyalty you've showed tonight. I'm sorry that it took me so long to arrive. Rest assured that your fight is done."

"Thank you." They all said softly, sitting on the ground and letting the fatigue set in. The only one who didn't was Xenovia who hadn't taken her eyes off of Sirzechs, though he didn't pay her much mind.

"How are they doing, Mathers?" Sirzechs asked, staring at Issei and Kirito who were still unconscious.

"Miss argento and I were able to heal the Red Dragon Emperor without too much trouble. He'll be exhausted for several days, but physically, his wounds were minor." He answered, "But this one's pretty bad. What on earth happened to him?"

"He tried to take Kokabiel alone and took his attack at full power." Rias answered bitterly, "We all thought he was dead, but…"

"He still managed to not only create an opening for Issei, but also survive the impact." Kiba added, "I don't thin- No, I know I wouldn't have survived it."

"You shouldn't be able to." Sirzechs said softly, "Even if he was holding back, no low-class devil should be able to take a hit from Kokabiel and survive. But he did. You have two good knights, Rias."

"Speaking of, I believe this should about do it." Mathers said, as Kirito's wounds stopped bleeding, "He's in critical condition, but he's stabilized, and the bleeding's stopped. Miss Asia's treatment should be enough to keep him from getting worse until he can be taken to somewhere more suited than this.."

"Yes sir!" Asia nodded, redoubling her efforts to heal Kirito.

"Okita." Sirzechs said, dissolving the barrier. Immediately, they were hit by the sound of thunderous explosions and shards of ice. Before any of them could be hit, the shards were vaporized by an uncountable number of sword slashes from the knight. The courtyard had been utterly destroyed. Craters the size of cars littered the area, all the trees were uprooted, and the entire gym had been reduced to smoldering ashes.

"Finally came out of your little barrier, have you?" Kokabiel asked, looking much worse for wear from his battle with Grayfia, who likewise looked like she'd gone through the ringer.

"Mathers, the kids." Sirzechs said, taking several steps forwards as Grayfia landed beside Rias, "Grayfia, the school."

"Understood." Both said, raising their hands. A barrier was once more erected around them, and a second, much more stable barrier was created around the school.

"Finally!" Kokabiel said as Sirzechs took to the sky.

"You can't win this fight." Sirzechs said simply, his eyes glowing again, "My sister and her household have already dealt you too much damage. Even Grayfia would've been able to defeat you in your current state if she did have to concern herself with causing excess damage to the town around us."

"Oh, indeed, I can't beat you at the moment." Kokabiel admitted, "But only for the moment."

A black snake that appeared to be made of smoke slithered out of his clothes and wrapped itself around his neck.

"But with this-!" He roared, and the snake bit his neck. His entire body convulsed as the smoke entered his body. The countless wounds covering his body closed in the blink of an eye, and the aura he was giving off more than tripled.

Even as all of them watched in horror as the monster they'd been fighting got even more terrifying, Sirzechs didn't even flinch.

"Certainly, this would've been a difficult fight." He admitted, "I'm glad that Akeno contacted me instead of Serafall."

The power of destruction started leaking out of his body, and the strength of his aura was literally suffocating even with a barrier created by one of the most skilled bishops in the underworld. The ground beneath him started to shake, and the barrier didn't stop the result earthquake from spreading to the rest of the town. Portions of the school collapsed and what little remained dissolved to nothing from his aura.

Floating in the sky before Kokabiel was a human shape mass similar to Rias' power of destruction, but many orders of magnitude greater. Kokabiel was visibly shaking.

"This must be some sick joke…" He growled, "This isn't right. There's no way you're ten times stronger than the first Lucifer!"

"Ten times is my limit for the moment..." Sirzechs answered, "Otherwise, Grayfia's barrier wouldn't be able to contain it. Not to mention Rias and her servants would not survive. You can increase your power as much as you wish, but you cannot defeat me."

"That's bullshit!" Kokabiel roared, summoning a spear of light stretching from one end of the barrier to the other, and swung it down on Sirzechs, but it crumbled to dust before it ever touched him.

"Goodbye, Kokabiel." Sirzechs said, waving his hand and sending a wave of power towards the fallen angel leader. Countless spears of light rained down upon it, but nothing could impede its progress, and all Kokabiel could do is scream as he sunk into the mass of destruction.

An absolute silence fell on the school. The mass of power slowly dissolved, turning back into Sirzechs without a trace of the transformation beside the destruction of his shirt.

An overwhelming display of force that had transfixed all of them. It was clear, beyond a shadow of a doubt, the reason that Sirzechs Lucifer had been able to maintain control of the underworld for so long without any real challenge to his power.

Because no challenge existed.

"I'm surprised." Sirzechs said calmly, walking into the crater, "So that snake was able to absorb the bulk of the damage? Clearly something is at work here."

"Go ahead and kill me, Sirzechs." Kokabiel's broken voice said harshly, "Go on, do it. I know you want to. I can see the contempt in your eyes."

"Indeed, it would bring me quite a bit of joy ending your life." Sirzechs admitted, dragging Kokabiel's body out of the crater. "But I won't do your dirty work. I'm sure you still have your share of allies in Grigori. Killing you would only embolden them."

Once Kokabiel was out of the crater, they all saw the extent of the damage. The entire left side of his body was gone, along with most of his arm and even half of his face had melted away. How he was still alive was a mystery. Both his legs were disintegrated at the knees, and just about every inch of skin on his body looked burned.

"You've grown soft." Kokabiel coughed.

"Say what you will." Sirzechs said, making a fist and conjuring chains around the leader's body, "But the battle is over."

With that proclamation, the barrier around them came down.

"You think that this is over?!" Kokabiel growled, "This will never be over! I won't stop until I've sent all you devils to meet your 'kings' and the church to meet the rotting corpse of their god!"

"Kokabiel!" Sirzechs hissed, and Kokabiel just smirked in satisfaction.

"Oops, I didn't mean to let that slip." He grinned with an obvious lie.

"...It can't be true, can it?" Asia asked, looking around for someone to reassure her, "God can't be dead, can he?"

"Wake up, little girl!" Kokabiel laughed, "He's been dead since before any of you were alive! That was what Valper discovered earlier. Without the paragons of good and evil, there's only so much that the System with Michael as its core can do to prevent things like a Holy Devil Sword from appearing. Even then, the system's already starting to reach its limits. The number of believers is decreasing by the year. Before long, who knows what could happe-"

"That's enough, Kokabiel." Someone said as a pillar of white light collided with the chained fallen angel. The one standing when the light cleared was wearing pure white armor with blue gems embedded into it. Green wings of pure energy radiated from its back, and under one arm, it held the chained form of Kokabiel.

"Lord Lucifer, I presume?" he said to Sirzechs, who nodded in acknowledgement, "I am Vali, of the Grigori. Azazel sent me to retrieve this piece of trash. Rest assured that we'll met out his punishment. I'm sure that Azazel will be in touch to provide formal proof that he's dealt with the matter."

"A moment, Vali." Kokabiel grinned despite the fact that he was being manhandled, "There's just one more thing I have to say. Haven't you wondered why there hasn't been any fighting since God died? Well, it's quite simple, you se-" Kokabiel's voice faded as blood ran down his throat from a hole in his neck. His eyes widened, mouthing continuing to move without giving off a sound.

"My apologizes, Vali." Sirzechs said lowering the arm he'd used to launch a ball of destruction, "However, there are some secrets that cannot get out, so I've taken the liberty of destroying his vocal cords. Feel free to let Azazel know what happened."

"That's fine." Vali responded, "If anything, that makes it easier to carry him. It won't have to listen to him complain."

Without another word, Vali took to the sky, and the longest night of the Occult Research club came to an end.

* * *

In the distance, Azazel saw Vali leaving the school, and given the amount of power they'd just felt, the battle was probably over before he even got there. So Gremory called in backup.

"So that's Sirzechs…" Ophis said, standing up and turning towards him, "What will you do, Azazel?"

"...You know exactly what I will do." He answered slowly, well aware that if Ophis actual tried to attack him, he would never have a chance of winning. Even if the entire military might of the threes combined, she was an entity they couldn't hope to match. Even the power Sirzechs showed with little more than a drop in the bucket compared to her.

"That's unfortunate. "She said with a smile, but she didn't lash out at him. Instead, she jumped off the building.

Though he could've followed her, it wouldn't do any good. Provoking her here would just destroy everything needlessly. So, he took off and followed Vali back to the safe house he'd maintained.

"What took you?" Vali said, glancing over at him as soon as he walked in.

"I had to deal with someone troublesome." Azazel shrugged, looking down on the floor. Vali certainly hadn't made any effort to make Kokabiel comfortable, as his wounds were untreated and simply thrown on the ground and bound him with a magic circle. "Sure did a number on him." he sighed, healing some of the less serious injuries and restoring his voice.

"It wasn't me." Vali replied, "Sirzechs had him at death's door before I got there."

"Figured that would've happened." Azazel nodded, "So, what exactly did you say, Kokabiel? Must've been quite the dozy if Sirzechs had to ensure that you couldn't say any more."

"Oh, nothing much." Kokabiel answered with a hateful glare, "I just let slip that God is dead."

Vali's eyes actually shot up in interest, and Azazel just sighed.

"Damn it. So that's your plan? You couldn't start a war with force so you tried with words?"

"Oh, that was the plan." Kokabiel admitted with a savage grin, "But he didn't let me tell the church girl about that little backroom deal between you, Michael, and Sirzechs." Azazel stared in him in shock for a few moments before the weight of what he'd just said sunk in.

"God damn it, Kokabiel!" Azazel growled angrily, "How did you even find out about that?!"

Kokabiel broke out laughing at the livid expression on Azazel's face, "Do your worst, Azazel. You might've stopped me tonight, but I will have my war, no matter how long it takes!"

After a moment of glaring at each other, Azazel's expression grew cold, "This is goodbye, Kokabiel." He answered.

* * *

It's been a while (which is weird to say given this chapter was done before I posted the last one, but...), but here's the long awaited big fight with Kokabiel. I'd like to apologize for taking too long with it, as I've had to neglect writing a fair bit due to my work, but while I might not be able to reply to Pms as I used to, or respond to reviews, know that I still read every single one of them, and they do drive me to keep going on my few days off.

I tried to make things as believable as possible while still keeping things as action packed as the original. One of the few complainants I have with DxD is that Kokabiel is just casually crushed by Vali in the span of a minute after toying around with the entire ORC. It just seemed a little...anti-climatic. And with Issei fighting on par with Vali five episodes later, it makes it seems like Kokabiel was... well, a lot weaker than he really was. So I gave him more of a fight with the ORC and then beat him with someone who really could casually bitchslap him into the dirt.

Some of you are going to complain because Kirito didn't do much besides stop Kiba from getting killed during his whole character development scene and somehow not dying long enough to get the drop on Kokabiel, and while that's fair, the reason I didn't have him play a larger role is that there really wasn't a place for him to do much else. Sure, he could interfere with Kiba's scene, but that just seems wrong to me, and a gamer-turned-devil actually fighting against a leader class fallen angel is utterly ridiculous at this point in the story.

Kirito's skill is getting closer to what he could do in Aincrad, but none of that makes a difference if the enemy is just a few leagues higher than that. More importantly, I wanted to drive home the fact that this isn't a game. In Aincrad (as Kirito showed in any of his numerous attempts to solo a boss), as long as you had 1HP and no status effects, you could fight the same as if you had max hp, but in the real world, the state that your body is in does, in fact, have an effect on your combat ability. That's something Kirito had to grasp in the story from experience, and coming pretty damn close to death should do that.

Now that I've got that out of the way (to silence those who are going to be saying 'What's the point in making an SAO crossover if the SAO characters do nothing?'), as always, leave your thoughts in a review and let me know what you think


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